Cherry Blossoms on an April Breeze
by ladykazekage
Summary: Sasuke, a beast demon, is the crown prince of the hidden demon kingdom of Konoha. Sakura is a young onsen maid who lives in the village outside of the forest where the demon kingdom resides. Full Summary inside! COMPLETE! SasuSaku NaruHina LeexOC Anti-In
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Sasuke, a beast demon, is the crown prince of the hidden demon kingdom of Konoha. Sakura is a young onsen maid who lives in the village outside of the forest where the demon kingdom resides. Sasuke spies upon Sakura one day while taking a walk, and accidently follows her home. A relationship between the two begins, centered around late-night visits. Though Sasuke is suppose to pick a suitable bride before his coronation, he can only think about Sakura, who, being mortal, would be completely unsuitable. Trouble brews as two different parties, a jealous Ino and a local businessman from the village, seperately plot for the downfall of this young couple. (Really sucky summarry, I know. Just read the story. It's only nine chapters long, and the pages are pretty short. (I'm very fond of double spacing)) Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, RockLeexOC (sorry!). Also, anti-Ino...sorry...

_Every night I go to bed exhausted on my feet._

_Every night I instantly fall asleep._

_Every night ~_he~ _visits me in my dreams._

_Every night is a sensual night filled with kisses, feather-light touches and moans._

_Every night he takes me closer and closer to the edge of oblivion._

_Every night I beg him to take me further._

_Every night we get so much closer, but never far enough._

_Every night I ask him if he is real, or just a figment of my imagination._

_Every night he tells me that he is real._

_Every night I beg him to stay with me until morning._

_Every morning I wake up and he's not there._

_Every morning I wonder if last night was simply a dream._

_Every morning I'm more tired than I was the night before._

_Every morning I find a scent on my bed sheets that is not my own._

_It's his._

**Chapter One **

"My Lord! Please pay attention!" yelled a disgruntled young, blonde man.

The young demon prince shook himself out of his bored reverie and shifted positions in his chair (well, it was a throne really). Could he help it that whatever Naruto said to him bored him out of his skull?

"Are you insinuating that I was not paying attention?" inquired the dark-haired man in what was suppose to be a dangerous tone.

Naruto was not buying it. "Yes Lord Sasuke, I am insinuating that. You always space out when I am giving you the reports and your agenda, _particularly_ when _that_ subject pops up." finished the demon prince's assistant.

Sasuke shuddered to himself.

"My Lord, your twenty-first birthday is in two months! At which point your father is handing _you_ the thrown since your older brother has opted to abdicate. You must pick a bride before then!" said Naruto.

"Can I help it if all the women you've chosen are hags?" asked Sasuke.

"My Lord, you've been presented with all of the young eligible bachelorettes of the kingdom. These 'hags' are all there are! You need to decide, or, as you well know, your father will choose for you. And as I'm sure you're also well aware of, he is quite fond of that Ino Yamanaka. Her father owns quite a lot of land over the mountain and your father would look favorably upon such a union." Naruto completed, quite out of breath after his speech.

Sasuke could tell that he was starting to get on his friend's last nerve, which, although easy to do, was never a good idea to try. Naruto was a fox demon, quite mischievous when he wanted to be, and the last thing anyone wanted was a vengeful fox on your hands. You'd very likely find your underwear filled with itching powder or a worm in your dinner. Sasuke of course spoke from past experience.

He decided to humor the blonde. "Alright Naruto, I'll _try_ to pay attention while you drone on about these hags, though I can't make any promises."

Naruto instantly brightened up. "Thank you Milord." he paused though, thinking. "But sir, it might not be such a good idea to refer to the ladies as 'hags'."

"Whatever."

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"That…was pure…torture!" declared a disheveled and frustrated-looking Sasuke two hours later.

Naruto only nodded along, playing the part of the sympathetic listener.

After Sasuke had agreed, Naruto exited the room, only to return with roughly fourteen young women in tow. He hadn't been paying attention earlier, so Sasuke had missed the part about him actually _meeting_ some potential spouses today, much to his chagrin.

Naruto had taken his group and lined them up in front of Sasuke so that he could inspect them. Sasuke hated this part. He might have portrayed himself as a heartless, cold, son-of-a-bitch, but every time Naruto, or someone, had some poor girls line up in front of him, eyes wide and hopeful, waiting for his judgment, he always felt terrible and guilty.

It didn't help either that _she _was there. Somehow Ino had snuck in. She was absolutely horrible. Ino had an enormous crush on the young demon prince and made no effort to hide it. When ever they were in the same room Ino would always hang around, or worse, _on, _him, dropping all these hints that the two were 'seeing' each other, and shooting dirty glares at any girl who looked at Sasuke twice.

Brown, black and blonde heads bobbed and swayed as their nervous owners shifted their weight from foot to foot, waiting on him. Although Sasuke referred to all of the young women as hags, they could hardly be described that way. They were all very pretty, even by demon standards, which were very critical when it came to qualities such as power and beauty.

Sasuke looked around. There were a few faces he recognized.

To one side stood a women named Tenten. She was quite athletic, strong, and had a pleasant look to her. But she was too much of a tomboy. It wasn't that Sasuke didn't appreciate a woman who didn't mind getting down and dirty, it's just that he also would like a woman who was comfortable in her femininity, and Tenten was most certainly not, as she tugged uncomfortably at her dress's material.

Another face he recognized belonged to Hinata Hyuuga. A young women from a very prominent family. From the few conversations he had had with her he had gathered that she was actually nice, gentile, and just a little shy. Of all the potential brides, Hinata was the one that would be less painful to have to marry…except… except that Sasuke knew that Naruto was quite fond of this young lady, and he would never do that to his friend. No need for both of them to be miserable in marriage, for as lovely as Hinata was, he still would have preferred someone he had actual feelings for beyond friendship.

As Naruto went through making introductions, Sasuke averted his eyes and tried not to look anywhere near a certain blonde woman. But this task was harder said then done, as somehow this aforementioned woman kept popping up in his line of vision, being everywhere at once, giggling her incessant laugh-fest. She would occasionally wink at him, then momentarily increase her snickering, as though the two shared an exclusive inside-joke.

Sasuke then had to actually _get up_ and walk to each one, introducing himself and talk to each of them. This exercise was also dreaded and much loathed upon by the young prince. After introductions, they _then_ had to mingle. Servants brought in trays of refreshments and the line of girls broke up as people turned to each other to start up conversations. Ino made a beeline over to where Sasuke was standing with Naruto and Hinata, the two carrying a pleasant conversation with Sasuke listening in, though contributing little.

After a hour of having Ino follow him around, Sasuke finally got to escape as a distant gong rang and all of the girls filed out.

"I hate doing that." said Sasuke, collapsing into a chair, running a hand through his raven locks. "And to make matters worse, Ino was there."

"Well, maybe that will give you some incentive to choose someone, because if you don't, than you can look forward to an eternity of _that, _till death do you part_._"

Sasuke shuddered. He rose up and made his way out of the large room they were in. Just before leaving he turned and said, "I'm going out to the garden, if anyone's looking for me." and then rotated around and exited.

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Sasuke made his way down the familiar garden path. He came upon a small picturesque pond and sat down by it. He always came here when he had to do some major thinking, ever since he was young.

He looked around. The garden was taken care of and looked over by an army of gardeners so that it always looked perfect. In the summer shades of yellows, pinks, reds, blues, and oranges dotted the ground, various flower blooms exploding forth from the ground, displaying their colors. In the fall, the leaves were a blaze with bright reds and oranges. Even in the winter, when all plant life was dead or laid dormant, the place was still beautiful as freshly fallen snow sparkled like diamonds, yet looked and felt as soft as clouds.

But Sasuke's favorite season was in the spring. Everything slowly awakening from it's long slumber. Soft colors swirled around, cushioning everything in a in a dewy down of springtime light. He especially liked it when the sakura blossoms were in full bloom, as they were now. Pink clouds made of a thousand petal hovered over him.

He looked down at the pond and the demon prince of the Kingdom of Konoha stared back at him. His loose robe gave a small peek to his muscular, pale chest, and he pulled them tighter around him to ward off the slightly chilly breeze. He looked at his angular, sharp facial features that apparently made him handsome and desirable. He pushed back his raven hair (another desirable trait) to reveal a small pair of horns.

Sasuke was the youngest son of the royal demon family, a family made up of beast demons. All of the members of their clan sported these horns, which grew with age and power, resembling ram's horns, as they would corkscrew into a sharp little point.

But right now, his horns were small, much like a goat's, and easily hidden by his hair. They would not become the grand horns like his father until he came of age, on his twenty-first birthday, and then they would continue to grow in size as he aged. However, since they were still small enough, if Sasuke concentrated hard enough, he could make his horns shrink, making him appear as normal as a human, albeit a very handsome, almost other-worldly-looking human. As long as he was able to focus on this, his horns would remain hidden. Through years of training, Sasuke had built up his will and concentration to the level that he could go for hours, fight numerous battles, and still have focus enough that his horns would not appear, until he fell asleep that is. As soon as he lost unconsciousness, the horns would reappear.

He shrank his horns and stood up. He turned his head to each side, to be sure that he was not being followed. His father often hired bodyguards to watch over him without his knowing. But Sasuke had learned quickly how to shake off any of these goons if he wanted some privacy. However, he did not sense anyone present, and so, he slowly walked out of the garden, not sure where he was headed to, or if he would even know when he was even there.

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Sakura woke up as dawn's rosy fingers pried there way into her room and lay across her closed eyes. She slowly sat up and looked around. Her room was simply furnished, as she had no extra funds to spend on interior decorating. Most of her wages went to pay for this small house she was renting from a rather greedy landlord.

She rose and stepped outside. She went into the outhouse situated just behind her place of residence. Her business taken care of, Sakura went back into her house, to begin her morning routine.

Inside sat a pitcher filled with fresh water. She poured this water into a soft pink bowl. She proceeded to wash her face, hands, arms and hair. She reached for a small towel hanging nearby and dried off. Sakura then changed into a mint green kimono with a kanji character in pink on her back. This kanji was the name of the onsen that she worked at as a maid.

Realizing that she needed to hurry, Sakura grabbed some sandals, and headed out the door. She ran as fast as one can in a kimono. Although this particular kimono was shorter, only coming down to her elbows and just past her knees to give her greater mobility to help further aide the clients, it still had to be tightly wrapped around and restricted her somewhat. She also had to run fast enough to get to her job quickly without making her face red and puffy; she needed to be presentable to the guests.

Turn after turn she went down numerous streets, each one taking her closer to one of the few onsens in Konoha. She finally arrived at her work, with only a few moments to spare.

Sliding open the rice paper door that was the back entrance to the onsen, Sakura skipped along through the hallways until she entered the front room. In there stood a middle-aged woman and young lady around Sakura's age. The woman looked very upset about something.

"You're late." she said, glaring at Sakura. Apparently the older woman was upset at Sakura…again.

"Gomen Nasai Oba-san." Sakura said, dipping her head in an apologetic bow.

The woman huffed, "Make sure it doesn't happen again." she said, though she needn't have bothered. Sakura was not actually late, she was really right on time. In fact, half of the serving girls had not even shown up yet. But for some reason the woman always picked on Sakura, calling her out on all of her insignificant faults, and referring to her only as 'you' or 'girl'.

"Yamazaruko, you'll be working spring number 1, and you, girl." she said, pivoting towards Sakura, "You're working spring number 5.

Sakura inwardly groaned. Spring number 5 was situated all the way in the back and was very private. It was often rented by prominent and rich business men who were either very pompous and arrogant, or very perverted and always trying to put some moves on her. But to her boss she simply put on a smile and nodded.

"And wipe that simpering smile off your face, it's unbecoming and the guests will find it rude." the older woman said.

Sakura's face instantly went blank and as she left the front lobby. She walked toward spring number 5, trying to smooth her rumpled feathers, but with little success.

At last she stepped into the little room situated off of the space containing the hot spring itself. Lighting a candle, she looked around and took inventory. The walls were covered with shelves where various onsen-related supplies laid. There was a huge stack of fluffy white towels in one corner, all freshly laundered each night. One wall housed several bottles filled with scented oils and lotions. There was other sundry items that she took note of. Everything was in place, so she sat down in the chair provided.

Day in and day out she sat in the supplies closet. Her job was very simple. In the room housing the spring hung a rope, knotted at the end. This rope was connected, through a series of pulleys, to a bell, situated in the supplies room. All the patron had to do was tug on the rope and the bell would ring. This signaled Sakura that the guests wanted something, which she was to provide them with.

It wasn't long before Sakura heard the bell ring overhead. She got up and slide back the thick door separating the room she was in from the other one.

In the hot spring sat a rather large, rotund man. Obviously a business man. His large stomach jiggled as he breathed in and out, the folds of flab wobbling. His many chins trembled and his jowls shook as he looked Sakura over with a hungry glint in his eyes.

He was quite disgusting.

"Well, aren't we a pretty thing?" he asked in a sickening voice.

Sakura tried not to visibly shuddered and took a small gulp, "How may I serves sir?" she asked in her most professional, polite tone, absolutely hating how her statement may have sounded.

The man smirked an evil, smug smile. He chuckled to himself, "Oh I'm sure I could think of something, but later maybe. Right now I need some refreshments, perhaps some melon and a bottle of sake."

Sakura bowed her head and left the room. She let out a breath of air she wasn't even aware of holding in. She absolutely hated customers like that man.

Since she did not carry melon and sake in her little room, Sakura headed off towards the kitchens.

The kitchen was a very noisy and bright place, as chefs prepared snacks that were to be eaten by guests. Someone rolled out a piece of dough most likely intended to become _dorayaki_, a sweet pancake like dessert with sweet bean filling, while she saw another person fanning a pot that had a very delicious smell wafting from it, possibly miso soup. Sakura smelled other foods being prepared and her mouth began to water. She loved coming into the kitchen, because she was usually able to sneak some tastes of the wonderful food.

"Sakura-chan, do you need something." asked a cheerful voice at Sakura's right.

Turning, Sakura spotted the girl from earlier in the lobby, smiling she said, "Hello Yamazaruko-chan! Actually, I do need some melon slices and some sake for a guest of mine. Do you think you could get me some, onegai?"

"Hai Sakura-chan, just wait a moment." Yamazaruko replied.

Sakura stood, waiting on her brown-haired companion. She closed her eyes and let all of the smells wash over her again, all drifting on the slight spring breeze, coming from the open door. It was fortunate that there was a breeze today. With ovens going nearly nonstop, the air in the kitchen could quickly become stagnant and very arid.

"Here you go Sakura-chan!" Yamazaruko said once she returned with a small tray containing three green melon slices, a small sake dish and a tall sake bottle already dotted with some condensing beads of water around the lip of the bottle.

"Arigato Yamazaruko-chan." replied Sakura, dipping her head in a grateful nod, before exiting the noisy din of the kitchen.

After a few moments she returned to spring number 5 and slid back the door. She cautiously walked over to the man who was eyeing her in a way that made her feel very uncomfortable.

She knelt down by the man, setting down the tray. As customary, she bowed her head and asked, "Is there anything else sir would like to make a request for?"

"Hmmm, not now." he said finally. Sakura pivoted her body around on her knees and made to stand up when she felt something brush against her bottom and a hand pinching it.

She naturally bristled, but was unable to say anything. Part of this was due to shock, she did not imagine that this man would be so bold. Another part was protocol; the serving girls were not to anger or upset the guests, and Sakura believed that turning around and popping the man one in the jaw would be classified as 'angering or upsetting the guests'.

Slowly, with as much dignity as she could manage after such a situation, she rose and left the room, entering into her little supply closet. Once inside she stared dismally at the floor. She could not bring herself to cry for fear that the man would hear her.

The sad thing was, this was not the first time it had happened to Sakura. Over the few months working at the onsen, Sakura had already received multiple pinches and gropes. She was never sure of what to do afterwards. She knew if she ever called any of the patrons out on it she could end up being fired. Nobody cared about what a little unmarried maiden had to say. She could never talk about it with anyone as she always became extremely flustered and embarrassed about it. The best she could do was simply forget about it, but of course, that task was always easier said than done.

She cheered up momentarily as she remembered that today was her short day. Exactly six serving girls were employed at he Sparkling Springs onsen, and all six had to work six days and rest on the seventh. However, each week, each girl received a day when they were allowed to leave work a few hours early, each girl on a different day. And today was Sakura's day.

"I just have to get through the rest of the day, until three o'clock, and then I could go home." she assured herself, and went about the new task of just trying to get through the day, which was also inevitably easier said then done.

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It was half a hour past three, almost nearing four, and Sasuke had been away from his home for two hours. He was actually quite surprised that his dad hadn't sent out an army of demon hunting parties in search of him already. Maybe his father was beginning to trust him.

Or maybe Sasuke was way smarter than the army of demon hunting parties and was able to easily avoid them.

Probably the latter.

Sasuke had wandered into the human territory a long time ago, and now he was meandering aimlessly around the outskirts of the village that the humans called 'Konoha'. Of course the original Konoha was run by demons and set back way in the woods, but no one seemed bothered to correct the humans. Probably felt it was a waste of time.

He now stood at the top of a hill absolutely covered with colorful wildflowers. He stood behind the trees that hugged the curve of the hill, marking off the boundary of where the demon's woods began and where the human world resided.

He momentarily considered picking a few flowers for his mother, who was very fond of such things. But suddenly he spotted a figure, coming up the hill and he shrank down further into the shadow of the tree.

On closer inspection he saw that the figure was that of a young mortal girl, possibly his age, with hair the color of the sakura blossoms. She was actually quite pretty, for a human. He decided to try and get a closer look and slowly edged his way through the shadows of the forest, staying completely hidden.

He leaned forward, to get a better view of this interesting girl. Fortunately she faced the woods so he could see her face, though she was too preoccupied to look in his direction. She had lovely mint green eyes, that positively sparkled as she looked around her and began to pick the wildflowers. Her hair was pulled back from her face into a tall elegant bun held in place with two chopsticks. He wondered vaguely what it would look like if she let her hair down. When he concentrated he realized she was singing a song. She had an incredible voice, and even that did not give it true justice.

Sakura! Sakura!Yayoi no sora waMiwatasu kagiriKasumi ka kumo zo izuruIza ya! Iza ya!Mi ni yukan. Saita sakura,Hanamite modoro,Yoshino wa sakura,Tatsuta wa momiji,Karasaki no wa! toki wa!Iza yukan.

He recognized the song. It was one his mother taught him when he was young. It was a simple song that told about the coming of spring and the cherry trees blooming. _"Cherry Blossoms! Cherry blossoms! Under the April sky…"_

He noticed that the singing had stopped and he looked to see why. To his amazement, the girl was sitting there, crying. He was truly shocked by this. He felt compelled to step out and comfort the girl, but his instinct for self-preservation kicked in and he stood where he was, helpless.

Soon as it started, the crying stopped, and the girl laughed. The laugh was cheerful enough, but there was a hint of bitter resentment, or maybe it was just sadness. The girl got up and began to walk off, towards the village.

Sasuke was torn in two. He knew that the responsible thing would be to go back to his castle and apologize to his overly-protective father for disappearing for nearly three hours. However…

For some reason, he found this human girl very interesting, and he became very curious about her. Sasuke pondered on whether or not he should follow this girl to find out more about her, for curiosity's sake of course.

So he began to quietly follow the maiden, silent as the grave, observing her from a distance. He even ended up trailing her all the way to her humble little abode.

All for curiosity's sake of course.

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Sakura silently changed into her night gown, unrolled her sleeping mat, and laid down. She had had a very exhausting day and she really needed the rest. First there was that man, and when an image of him flashed in her mind Sakura involuntarily shuddered.

And of course no matter how much she tried _not_ to think about it, the more it kept on popping up in her mind. The man absolutely ruined her entire day.

She had even tried to cheer herself up by going to the wildflower field. Being surrounded by the beautiful colors in spring always made her feel better. In all of her twenty years, she had rarely found more joy than that of the simple act of walking through a field of flowers. But today, after the initial joy of seeing the flowers wore off, she was reduced to a blubbering sap, all because of that stupid man.

Then the rest of the day she had this paranoid feeling that she was being watched. At first she had assumed it was the guest from the onsen and was about to freak out. But a few times she would sharply turn her head to look behind her and she thought she caught a glimpse of someone who was most certainly_ not_ the man from the onsen. Though she never got a good peek, she had a notion that the person who was spying on her, if in fact these paranoid feelings were not a figment of her imagination, was actually quite handsome, tall, dark, and young.

But it was all speculation.

Trying to find escape from the troubles of her day in sleep, Sakura rolled her head over towards the left side of her mat, facing the open window showing a full moon and closed her eyes.

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He wasn't sure why he was here. It was bad enough that he followed the girl home, worse still that he had followed her _in_ to her home. How was he going to explain this to his father?

But even so, Sasuke did not want to leave. He crept over to the sleeping young woman, and knelt down. The girl made a sudden movement and turned her head up, her delicate nose turning toward the ceiling. The prince tensed, before realizing that it was safe. The girl was just turning over in her sleep.

He gazed down on the face that he had been unable to satisfyingly examine earlier. Her face was gentle, with an elegant curve to it, along with well defined cheeks and a strong chin. He saw that her hair was down and instantly decided he liked it that way better so that it could frame her face. It was short, just past the shoulders, but it did not detract from her beauty. If anything, it added to it, giving her a still feminine look, without some outrageous and impractical mane of hair. Her skin looked soft and absolutely glowed with a radiance that was beyond youth and beauty. Her lips were full, rosy, and looked extremely soft. For a moment he wondered what they would feel like on his own lips, but he shook his head as though he was trying to dislodge some water in his ears; he could not stray down that path.

But as he stared at the beautiful face in front of him a little longer, he felt terribly compelled to reach out and see if her skin was as soft as it looked, if her hair was as silky as he imagined it would be, if her lips were really that yielding…

He found himself gently stroking her cheek with his left hand, light enough that he was sure she wouldn't feel it and wake up.

Nevertheless, her head turned once again, and laid itself in his slightly cupped hand, moaning slightly at the small contact and the minute warmth it produced.

Sasuke was going too far, he needed to step back from the situation before he got himself in trouble. He was already in a very compromising position, holding this girl's head in his hand.

And still, Sasuke could not just simply get up and walk away. He watched the girl for a few silent moments, before the young women parted her mouth just slightly and let out a small sigh of pleasure.

He felt the warm breath on his skin and goose bumps instantly arose. There was no stopping himself this time. He leaned down, placing his right hand on the other side of her face, he gently turned the head to face him, leaned down, and placed his slightly cautious lips on her rose petal ones.

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Sakura was in the middle of a wonderful dream. She was a princess locked away in a tall tower, under a dreadful sleeping spell, waiting for her prince to arrive.

He finally did, fighting constant monsters and dragons along the way. He had made his way up into her tower. He stood next to her bed, reached out and gently stroke her cheek with such silky fingertips.

He then took caressed her face in his hands, and placed his lips on hers.

It was so realistic.

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All semblance of common sense had left the young demon prince. He was correct in his assessment of how soft this maiden's lips were. But her lips weren't quite as wonderful as how she _tasted…_

He probably would have stopped a long time ago, unable to continue kissing an unconscious body, if the girl hadn't started kissing him _back._

At first he was unsure of what to do beyond just laying his lips on top of the girl's, he was inexperienced in such matters. But then suddenly the young woman began to move her lips against his, and he got the general gist of the idea.

He continued to hold her head in his hands as she reached up and wound her arms around his back and pulled herself closer to him. The heat at the closeness of their proximity was delicious and warmed him up, top to bottom.

After a while the two pulled away due to need of oxygen. Panting, he touched his forehead to hers, scared to look down and see her realize that their was a total stranger in her bed and freak out.

But when he finally gathered the courage to look, he saw that her eyes were out of focus. She thought that this was a dream perhaps… or she didn't care if it wasn't.

Abruptly, she raised her lips to his and kissed with much fervor, which he returned enthusiastically.

He would have stayed there for all eternity if he could have. With a pang of regret, he realized that he needed to return home _sometime_ before dawn. Sasuke broke off the kiss and he heard a sad sigh from the young girl.

"I'm afraid I have to go now." he explained in a hushed, soothing voice.

She looked at him with sad, hazy eyes, but gave a small nod.

"What is your name?" he asked, figuring he should at least learn that if he were ever to begin to get over this slowly growing obsession for this mystery girl.

"Sakura" she replied with a small smile, which he returned. The name suited her very well, what with her cherry blossom hair.

"I'm afraid I have to leave you for now Sakura, though Kami knows I don't want to." he added on a slight side note.

b

"Are you, are you just a dream?" Sakura asked hesitantly, unwinding her arms from around his neck, much to his disappointment.

Planting a small, chaste kiss on her lips, he whispered, "I'm as real as you are Sakura-chan. Now, try to get some sleep, neh?" Sasuke then got up, and exited the house.

Sakura laid back down, and slowly closed her eyes, allowing sleep to overtake her and carry her from one dream to another.

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The next morning, Sakura woke up with an extremely groggy head. Images flashed through her mind as she tried to recall everything.

There was a man, a very handsome one. Hair as dark as the night. He appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly to her dismay. She still could feel his lips on hers and how breathtaking that had felt.

But surely he was only a dream, an incredible, delicious, magnificent dream.

She wrapped her only blanket around her, burying her head in the familiar material.

Sakura inhaled a deep breath through her nose, a ritual she normally performed when she felt something was wrong and she needed comfort. The well-known scent of the blanket always comforted her.

But today, she didn't smell the scent of wildflowers and hand-made soap. Instead she smelt a completely new fragrance, a strong, masculine smell, of the woods and clean sweat. Something connected in her mind.

It was his scent.

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Welp, I am finally posting this thing… it only took me forever. I've had this uploaded on DA for almost half a year, but FanFic keot messing it up so Ihad to fix it... and I just never really got around to it.

This idea came when I was sniffing my sheets. You know, like when you're snuggled deep down in a cocoon of softness and you sniff a familiar scent and everything becomes okay? *Looks at all the stares* err… well anyway, I was sniffing my sheets, and instead of smelling like I expected (of Tide and home) they smelled differently… almost like a man's cologne (No idea where i that /i came from)

So I decided to apply it to a SasuSaku fic! (besides, I owe this couple a fic, since I've already done all of my other fave hetero couples at least once.) I don't know where the demon idea came from… but somehow I can easily picture Sasuke with some ram's horns on his head…him…

Anyway… hope you're enjoying it so far.

I apologize for people who do not appreciate Out-of-timeline, original-characters, or Alternate-Universe kind of fics, because this one clearly is. It's set in Japan (again, sorry!) sometime in the feudal era, but before the revolution. Sakura is a peasant, and has peasant like things (such as just sleeping on a mat, where as Sasuke gets a nice expensive bed…) I hope this is semi-clear. Even so, it's not terribly important that you know that, just know that it is a simple time…

Warning: This thing is long! My longest yet. In Word it's like 101 pages (then again I have a space between each paragraph instead of indentions)

**Translations**(Some of these you probably already know though…)

**Sakura**-no, not the character. This Sakura refers to cherry trees, often found in Japan. They bloom every April with beautiful pink blossoms. Only appearing for a few weeks of the year, the Japanese will often times hold a Sakura-blossom viewing picnic.

**Kimono**-Japanese robe

**Kanji**-Japanese characters

**Onsen**-hot springs (like a hot tub) Japan has a lot of public bath houses with onsens…

**Gomen Nasai**-"I'm very sorry"

**Oba-san**-respectful term used for older women, equivalent to "aunt"

**-san**- a common title in Japan. Equivalent to Mrs. or Mr.

**-chan**-title used mainly for girls, or younger boys.

**Sake**-(pronounced i_saw-kay/i_) Japanese alcoholic beverage. I think the alcohol concentration is fairly low, considering Asians usually don't have a high tolerance for alcohol (true fact, while Europeans drank alcohol because water was often too dirty, Asians mane the water into tea, so they didn't gain the tolerance most Westerners have) then again, since it's in such a little bottle, it might actually be a high concentration…

**Dorayaki**- a pancake type desert with some sort of filling (although it already says so in the story…)

**Miso**-a paste of fermented rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus kojikin. Added to a stock it becomes Miso soup.

**Onegai**-Please

**Hai**-yes

**Arigato**-Thank You

**the song Sakura sings**- I'm not translating the whole thing… It's an old folk song entitled "Sakura" and is often taught to young children as the learn to play various instruments (like when a child learns how to play "Mary had a Little lamb" on the piano or something)

**Sleeping mat**-um... this is actually a futon, but I wasn't aware that that is what they were called at the time (or the fact that futons are japanese... I think I thought they were italian or something...) Anywho, since the story is placed in the Feudal Era, Sakura is sleeping on a sleeping mat. Very simplistic and popular in Japan (possibly other Asian countries, but I don't know) You just roll out the mat, sleep on it, and in the morning roll it back up in the morning. It saves space.

**Kami**-God

That's it. I think chapter one contains most of the need for translation, but I will continue to put up a glossary.

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two

"Sasuke! Where the hell were you?" hissed Naruto venomously. Sasuke winced, knowing he was about to get an earful from Naruto, who had probably gotten an earful from Sasuke's father for letting Sasuke wander off.

"Well, I went outside to enjoy the beautiful gardens…"

"For twelve hours!" yelled Naruto, obviously not believing Sasuke's innocent act for a second.

"I uh, got distracted?" Sasuke mumbled, placing his hand behind his head and scratching his scalp.

"By FLOWERS?!?!?!" shouted the blonde demon.

"Of sorts…" Sasuke's voice dribbled off.

Naruto spent a few moments simply glaring at his friend. Then his face softened, and a sigh rushed out.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" he suggested with a small smile.

It was morning, and Naruto had pounced on Sasuke while he was still in bed, not allowing him the chance to escape his scrutiny and lecturing. The pair was situated on Sasuke's bed, with Naruto at the foot, and Sasuke at the head, pulling his sheets around him.

The young demon's room was dark and gloomy looking as the early morning light slowly percolated through the gauzy curtains. An ocean of burgundy material, same color as his walls, spread out before him as Sasuke shifted on top of his goose feather mattress, a luxury from the continent that very few got to experience.

Sasuke proceeded to tell Naruto what had happened last night. When he had finished talking about the confusing events, Naruto sat in silence, contemplating.

"Sasuke, it sounds like you met a really nice girl yesterday."

"She was more than _nice_ Naruto. She was… I don't know…different than anyone I've ever met before." Sasuke interrupted.

"But Sasuke, that's the problem. It's obvious that your starting to feel something for this mortal girl, which you should be able to figure out that such a thing could have dire consequences. Demons and mortals do not mix, always has been, always will be. It's a Law of Nature. I suggest that you simply forget about this Sakura, and focus on your coronation." finished Naruto.

"Naruto, I _can't _forget about her. I know I should, but I can't get her image out of my mind." _"Or how incredibly soft her lips felt on mine." _he thought, though decided to not actually voice it out loud.

"Sasuke, what your feeling is called 'infatuation.' It's an attraction that is founded on only hormones and lust. Whatever the pull this girl has on you is not real. Please My Lord, just forget about her and think about you future _demon_ bride. Everything will work out for the better that way."

Sasuke nodded along, though not agreeing with anything his friend said, but pretending to. He had already decided that he would go back to the girl's house tonight.

He knew that what he was feeling could not possibly be real, like _love_ or anything. He was simply extremely interested in this mortal girl for reasons he couldn't explain. He had no idea _why_, just that he was. And he had some sneaking suspicion that if he saw her again that maybe, just maybe, he could simply forget about her like Naruto suggested and start focusing on the ceremony only two months away now.

It could work.

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"Sakura-chan, Konichiwa Sakura-chan!" called an eager voice from behind Sakura. She turned to see a young man with black hair, shaped like a bowl, and extremely thick black eyebrows.

"Oh, hello Lee-kun." replied Sakura, adding the appropriate suffix.

"Sakura-chan, how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Lee." the boy said good naturedly.

"Force of habit Lee-kun." was all she said.

For the first time Sakura noticed that Lee was carrying some wooden boxes, with the same kanji written on her back stamped on the side. Lee worked in a grocer's, the one that provided the onsen with all of their food, and it was often Lee who made the deliveries.

"Going to work, right Sakura-chan?" asked Lee.

__

"No, I just like to wear this ridiculous kimono everywhere I go."

she thought sarcastically while saying out loud "Hai."

"Good, I'll walk you there." the black haired youth said, being the ever valiant gentleman.

Sakura made no reply to his sentence. This was how their relationship worked. They would bump into each other in a public spot, and start a conversation (One that Lee usually initiated) and would start to walk together.

Rock Lee was a year older than Sakura, and they had actually known each other since they were young. Their mothers had been pretty good friends growing up, and so the two often played with each other.

The pair arrived at the onsen eventually and split apart, Sakura going through the back entrance where the serving girls were suppose to enter, and Lee heading towards the kitchen door.

After another scintillating morning conversation with the old woman who owned the springs, Sakura begrudgingly made her way to spring number 5, _again_. Upon arriving she realized that there was already a guest in the hot springs and to her eternal dismay, it was the fat business man from yesterday.

"Miss me, my dear?" the man asked in what a voice he probably thought sounded sophisticated, but didn't match the leer plastered on his face.

Sakura tried her best to pull herself together and asked, "How may I serve sirs?" hoping her fear and disgust wasn't evident.

"Same as yesterday, melon and some sake, and please hurry, I'm withering away here." he told her, while his large stomach jiggled, contradicting his statement.

She turned and walked towards the kitchen. Once she had left the room to the sanctuary of the hallway, she shuddered violently. She was _not _looking forward to serving this man again.

On the way to the kitchen, her mind began to wander as it was want to do from time to time, and inevitably her thoughts turned on to the events of last night. She still wasn't sure if the man who visited her was an illusion. True, she had found his scent on her blanket, but maybe it was a remnant, leftover from the dream. She could have still being hallucinating. She wasn't exactly a morning person and it always took her a few moments to officially wake up, even after she had opened her eyes.

She entered the kitchen, still in her daydream, which she was forcibly extricated from with a loud, cheery "Hello Sakura-chan!"

She turned her head to the source, and saw Lee, standing by the entrance to outside with Yamazaruko who he had apparently been having a conversation with. She walked towards them.

"Hello." Yamazaruko said, "Do you need anything Sakura-chan?"

"Hai, my guest wants some melon slices and sake onegai." She replied.

"Alright then." Yamazaruko said pleasantly before walking off into the busy activity of the kitchen and completely disappearing from view.

"So? How's your work day going so far?" asked Lee politely, trying to start up a conversation.

__

"Well, it's only been five minutes and so far it's been pretty shitty."

"Fine." Sakura lied.

"Good, good." Lee replied. The little chat had come to halt quite quickly.

Fortunately, an awkward silence wasn't able to form because Yamazaruko returned with Sakura's tray, carrying the exact same things as yesterday's.

"Well, I suppose I should be heading off now." completed Lee, before saying a final "Sayonara." and leaving the crowded kitchen.

"That Rock Lee-san…" said Yamazaruko before sighing what could possibly be construed as a dreamy sigh. "He's quite handsome, isn't he? And strong too. He had to carry those two wooden boxes all the way from the grocer's."

"He's probably used to it. I'm sure he has to lift a lot in his job." Sakura replied, uncomfortable at the direction their conversation had taken quite suddenly. She had never once thought of Lee as _handsome_. He wasn't exactly ugly per say, but that hair…and those eyebrows. Besides, Sakura could only see her childhood friend as the clumsy nut he was when he was five and she four, constantly tripping over his own two feet.

"Well, anyways, arigato Yamazaruko-chan. I need to take this to my guest quickly before he becomes agitated." Sakura told her companion before pivoting around as quickly as she could, and made her way back to her assigned spring

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"It's about time, I'm starving!" the large man said as Sakura entered the room.

She walked towards the disgusting pervert and set down the tray beside him, just like the day before.

"Is there anything else sir would like to make a request for?" she said, _just_ like the day before.

But unlike the day before, the man said, "Yes, actually there is something. Would you serve me my melon to me? I'm much to tired right now to do it myself. And be sure to cut the melon into small pieces."

Sakura was shocked at this request. She wasted several moments, staring at the man, completely agog. She had never had a client ask her to do something like this. Plus, the thought of _feeding_ this man made her want to vomit. Still, if she wanted to keep this job, she would have to do what he said, lest he complain to the crotchety old woman and get her fired.

Picking up the small knife that was placed on the tray, intended to cut the melon slices further, she proceeded to chop the melon pieces.

Sakura selected one bite size piece and raised it, taking it towards the man's grotesque lips. She hesitated slightly.

"Go on girl, I can't eat it when your dangling it two feet away from me!" he said, the anger rising in his voice.

She gulped and brought her hand with the melon to the man's open mouth and dropped the piece in, not caring if it hit its target or not. She just wanted to get any body part of her as far away from that mouth that was panting out a hot, sour breath, so unlike the mouth belonging to the young man from last night…

"Hrmph, be more careful. Next time bring it to my tongue. I nearly dropped that piece!" the man growled in a dangerous voice, multiple chins wiggling.

Sakura merely nodded and picked another piece. She stared, almost in horror, as she brought her hand closer and closer to the hellhole that was the man's mouth. Finally and unfortunately she reached her target as she slowly placed the melon piece on the man's sickening tongue and snapped her hand back, though it was all in vain. She felt the revolting slimy texture of the man's tongue as he momentarily wrapped the putrid muscle around one of her outstretched fingers. As Sakura tried not to vomit right then and there, she heard the vile man chuckle.

"Well come along my dear, I haven't got all day, and I'm _ravenous_."

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"Sasuke, there you are. Where in the seven hells were you yesterday?" It was the first thing out of Fugaku's mouth, and was the closest thing Sasuke would ever get to a "Good Morning." from his father.

Sasuke paused in his pleasurable amble down the hallway, brightly lit from the noonday rays coming through the windows that dotted the walls every few paces. He turned to look at his father. Fugaku, the present king of the demons in the kingdom of Konoha, was a formidable and awe inspiring figure, with the hair the exact midnight shade as his two sons, Itachi and Sasuke, though considerably taller than the two, with broad shoulders, arms and chest built entirely of hard muscle, and an impressive pair of horns on top of his head, corkscrewed to perfection. Many fainted from his fear-arousing form and his almost overpowering demonic aura, but that wasn't where Fugaku's real power lay. Anyone who had ever stayed in the older demon's presence went away simply muttering about his eyes, how they seemed to have the power to pierce you to the very _soul…_

Sasuke turned his head so that he did not have to meet his father's full on glare. "I simply took a small walk father." he muttered, suddenly feeling like a small child being chastised.

And in certain respects, he was.

"You took a walk…for twelve hours?" his father asked.

Sasuke merely nodded. His father had always been so overprotective of him, ever since he was young. Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, had decided at a fairly adolescent age that he did not wish to become the next demon king, which left Sasuke to fill in for the position. Ever since then, Sasuke's father had kept him on a pretty short leash, afraid of losing another son _and_ his kingdom in one fell swoop.

Of course, there was _one_ good thing about Sasuke's upcoming coronation. As soon as he was Demon King, his father could hardly boss him around any more.

Fugaku gave a grunt, signaling Sasuke to explain how anyone who did not have dander for brains could possibly end up taking a "small" walk for twelve hours.

"I, um, I went out in to the gardens and I, urm, then started walking through the woods."

One of Fugaku's eyebrow shot up suddenly, and Sasuke knew why. Although the forest wasn't expressly forbidden for Sasuke, he was greatly discouraged from going there.

Sasuke blushed, hating how his father made him feel so juvenile, like he was a little demonling who had just got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"And, um, I went to this small hill near the forest that had some flowers on it and I thought I might pick some for Mom since she likes them a lot."

__

"This sounds so stupid coming out of my mouth now."

"I know the hill you speak of, isn't it very close to the human settlement? You didn't go down to the human village?" he asked.

"No!" Sasuke said quickly, perhaps too quickly, "I mean, of course not, I know the human village is forbidden."

Fugaku's face still had one cocked eyebrow but he gave a small nod, telling Sasuke to go on.

"So, err, I found this comfortable spot and decided to sit down and I must have…must have fallen asleep. I've been having a few late nights lately so it was bound to catch up to me." Sasuke concluded, praying to every god that had ever existed that his dad believed his lie.

And by some miracle, Sasuke's father seemed to accept his story. He sighed, and placed both of his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, turning Sasuke so that he had to completely face his father, head-on. "I'm sorry Sasuke."

That was a new one on Sasuke, something he hadn't quite expected from his father. He had never heard his father apologize to anyone, especially his youngest son, whom Fugaku was the hardest and most unforgiving towards.

"I know I must seem extremely strict, and I know you already are very stressed, these next few months are going to be trying on everyone's nerves, especially your's. If I appear strict it's only because I want what's best for you and for you to become the powerful demon I know you can become. Just promise me to not go gallivanting off, disappearing for half a day without anyone knowing, and especially not through the woods. Many mortals hunt there, and they may have gotten a glimpse of you. You know how those humans can be, crazy, the whole lot, they probably would have started shooting at you and hacking away with those primitive weapons of theirs."

Fugaku's contempt for the humans was evident. Sasuke just simply nodded, giving his father what he wanted, his face blank and devoid of any emotion.

Sasuke's father glanced down at his son's face, evaluating his countenance, before letting go of Sasuke's shoulders, "I believe Naruto has your agenda for the day in the throne room, I suggest you go there as soon as possible." he said as some sort of farewell, before rotating around and walking off.

Sasuke sighed, letting out a huge breath, pausing slightly, watching his father tread away, before starting his own stroll that had been interrupted.

__

"Oh well, what my father doesn't know won't hurt him."

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Sakura's day had been one from hell. She had to feed that pervert _sixteen_ more pieces of melon, and each time, no matter how she situated her fingers, he somehow was able to touch them with that _loathsome_ tongue. Her fingers still felt dirty and slimy, even after multiple scrubbings with soap and hot water.

All she really wanted to do after such a horrible day was go home, eat some supper, and curl up on her sleeping mat. And that's exactly what she did. She went home, changed out of her work kimono into a much more comfortable one, had a small dinner, and proceeded to lay down on her bed mat. She sighed, snuggling into her blanket, burying her nose into the material and inhaling a deep breath.

The scent of homemade soap drifted up through her nose, with a small, underlying scent. _His scent._

Sakura curled up into a fetal position and turned her body towards the left hand side of her room, facing the open window, closed her eyes and began to dream, all the while drawing in the scent of the young man, the mystery midnight man.

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__

"I know I made a promise, but technically, all I promised my dad was that I would not disappear for half a day without anyone knowing."

thought Sasuke as he quietly made his way through the woods, in the midst of an argument with himself and his conscience.

_"So now I'm only disappearing for a few hours without anyone knowing, so really, I'm not breaking any promise!"_

The moon, while beginning it's waning stages, was still full enough for him to easily travel through the dark forest with out the aid of a light, which could be spotted by some human, and that would have led to some awkward situations. Then again, Sasuke's night vision was a thousand times better than a human, so he'd probably never even need a light, even during a new moon.

__

"Besides, I can't get this Kami-forsaken girl out of my head! Maybe she's a sorceress, or a priestess, who has woven some spell on me."

Sasuke's thoughts slowly grew more irrational.

_"If I see her one more time, just one more time, I'm sure I can do what Naruto suggests that I do and simply forget about her and move on towards my crowning ceremony."_

And these excuses were sufficient enough to give Sasuke courage to make his way towards the sleeping village in the dead of the night, walking towards a slowly becoming more familiar house.

He finally came upon the small dwelling, sitting in a pool of moon light, and hesitantly walked toward the open window.

He placed his fingers on the windowsill, curling them to better grip it, peeked in upon a sleeping Sakura, and instantly found all of his worries and stresses slip away. This girl had some strange power over him, making him feel instantly calmer and better just by looking upon her beautiful face. Like a general pick-me-up.

Obviously some sort of magic spell. What kind of mortal would have such control over a powerful demon?

Sasuke wasn't sure what to do next, now that he had worked up the courage to get here. His mind meandered towards the events that occurred last night, and he would not be have been completely honest with himself if he said he did not wish to continue such activities.

However, Sasuke wasn't sure how the girl would feel about being accosted again by some midnight visitor. Last night she had been in a daze, eyes glazed over with a dream-like contentment even when she had been somewhat lucid. Tonight, she might realize that someone had snuck into her house and began to molest her, and begin to take the perfectly excusable actions for such a situation and attack him, or wake up any neighbors, which could then lead to his capture and/or eventual death.

Pretty dire consequences.

It was then that his musings were interrupted by a small sound emanating from the room he was looking into. He realized it came from Sakura, as she sighed a small sigh and giggled quietly, obviously enjoying her dream immensely.

He allowed himself a moment to get his wild heartbeat a chance to slow down. He had been so in tuned to his quiet surroundings that the sudden noise had surprised him. He realized then that he should probably return home, or someone might notice him missing.

He revolved around, facing the direction of the woods when he heard something that nearly gave him another heart attack.

"What's your name?"

Sasuke turned slowly, looking at the young woman curled up on the primitive sleeping mat. He was completely silent, unable to say anything as he studied the female.

A flood of relief swept over him as Sasuke realized that Sakura was still completely unconscious, and was merely talking in her sleep. The question was obviously directed at her dream.

She hummed happily, gave a little giggle before saying, "Come on, you already know who _I_ am, why shouldn't I know who _you _are."

__

"Who is she talking to? She…she isn't talking about me is she?"

But the more Sasuke thought about it, the more the idea began to make some sense. _"So she was having some sort of dream about me?" _the young demon chuckled and smiled at that thought, though he wasn't sure why. However, the idea that this girl was thinking about him gave him immense pleasure and self satisfaction.

He was even more unsure of what to do now. This girl was apparently having a fairly realistic dream, involving him. _"Does that mean she enjoyed last night?"_ Sasuke gripped the window sill tighter now, as though preparing to climb through it. Besides, the girl looked _very_ inviting, lying on her mat, all innocent and angelic like.

In one minute, Sasuke's resolved snapped and he pulled himself through the window. _"Besides," _he argued with himself, _"I'm out in the open here, and in enemy's territory. I should get out of anyone's line of fire quickly, and this is the nearest shelter." _

Sasuke slowly walked towards the girl he had been fantasizing about all day, breath bated. He stopped, assuring himself that his horns were hidden by a quick swipe of his hands. He knelt down by the sleeping figure, and just as the night before, reached out a hand and began to stroke the incredibly soft, velvet-like cheek.

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Sakura had been dreaming when suddenly her mystery midnight man appeared, in all of his moonlit glory, pale limbs looking as if the had been carved by a master artist from marble. He had begun to kiss her with feather-light caresses, exciting her to no end. She would have let him continue with his blissful pleasuring for all eternity if a certain thought hadn't entered her mind, nagging at her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He paused in what he was doing and looked at her, his intense eyes meeting her suddenly sheepish ones. He said nothing, ignoring the question, and continued to lightly kiss her, at her cheeks, along her jaw line and on her mouth.

However, though with much reluctance, Sakura succeeded in stopping his tender onslaught and said, "Come on, you already know who _I_ am, why shouldn't I know who _you _are."

But still, he did not respond.

Sakura was becoming frustrated with this silent treatment. She was about to tell off her mystery midnight man when he suddenly kissed her on the lips, his body abruptly becoming heavier on hers, with much more pressure exerted from his lips than any kiss before and much more of that delicious, body-warming, heat. _So realistic…_

She opened eyes that she was not aware of ever being closed, though eventually shutting them again as the kiss deepened. She raised her arms to wrap around the man's neck, quickly forgetting her question, as the only thought her mind could hold was how to get closer to this other body right _now._

They continued their kissing, and soon, even that was not enough for the two. Hands began to wander, stroking and caressing. Certainly nothing below the belt, but that was okay. There was so much to feel _above _the belt.

The couple finally stopped, much to their mutual dismay, as the need for air became too much. They laid there awhile, chests heaving up and down, breaths coming out in pants, simply staring into the other's eyes.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence. "I guess you have to return to whatever Dreamland you come from now, don't you?" she asked, voice hardly hiding her discontent.

He chuckled at this. "It's hardly a Dreamland."

His voice was so rich, and deep that Sakura found her self drowning in it, and not ever wanting to come up for air.

"Please," she said, making one last appeal, "Please tell me who you are."

He looked down at her, eyes with a sad look to them. He leaned down, bringing his lips close to her ears, his warm breath tickling her.

"Sasuke." he whispered to her. The name had barely reached her ears before he placed a singular kiss on her forehead and walked out of Sakura's small house, leaving her cold, terribly missing the heat that the man…Sasuke, provided.

She turned, watching him leave as he entered. He gracefully lifted himself through the window frame, like a giant nocturnal cat. She curled herself into a comfortable position, still watching him. The last thing she saw before her dreams came to claim her was the man (_"Sasuke."_ she corrected her self) turning towards and whispering only loud enough for her to hear.

"Go to sleep Sakura-chan." a small smile playing at the lips of this young man.

"All right…Sasuke-kun." and she let sleep take over her, missing the pleased and content chuckle coming from Sasuke.

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I hate that fat man…

Um yeah, so… here's the second chappie. I lurve their snuggling. I know Sasuke is slightly OOC… I apologize, but I think he can be sweet when he really wants to be…

Anyway… hope your enjoying this as much as I am.

**Translations **

Goose-feather mattress from the continent- Demons are much more sophisticated than humans, and have a whole lot more luxuries. Although "The Continent" I think is usually used to refer to China, here it simply means Eurasia (particularly Europe, where they most likely got the mattress)

-chan- title used for girls or younger boys

Konichiwa- Good Morning

-kun-used for boys usually, but can be used to refer to a peer (even a female one)

Kanji- Japanese characters

Onsen-hot springs (like a hot tub)

Kimono-Japanese robe

Hai-Yes

Sake-alcohol

Onegai-Please

Sayonara-Good Bye

-san- title equivalent of Mrs. or Mr.

Bed mat- a mat you sleep on, then when you're done you roll it up

Kami-God

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

This was how the two's relationship went for the next month. They would constantly think about the other all throughout the day. Then that night, after Sakura would fall asleep, Sasuke would come visit her. Some nights they kissed, some nights they did more than just kiss, and some nights they simply cuddled, leaning into each other. They never went as far as to consummate their relationship. They both seemed to instinctually know how far was _too _far.

The days after the nightly visits were always confusing. Each day, Sasuke told himself that _last night_ was absolutely the last night he would visit Sakura. Each day Sakura wondered if Sasuke was just a figment of her imagination, and if last night was the last she would ever see of her knight in shining armor. The two went about their days, contemplating these thoughts, while still trying to appear normal. Though their flawless masks were beginning to show cracks. Both Naruto and Yamazaruko began to notice peculiar behaviors in their friends.

On top of that, pressure was increasing on Sasuke as the night of his crowning ceremony came closer. He had new rituals to memorize, both for the coronation and for matters he would have to attend to once he was the king, diplomatic procedures and whatnot. He was also being strained to pick his demon bride, as the day of his coronation would be his wedding day as well. He was told he would have to have chosen his bride two weeks prior to that day, where he would announce it in front of the whole demon kingdom at a ball.

Sakura's life had not gotten much easier either. She began to notice that her friend, Rock Lee, was exhibiting odd traits. He seemed to pop in on her _everywhere_, talking to her for what could easily become hours on end if she didn't interrupt him, telling him that she really, _really_, needed to get to work. He also gave her small gifts, a flower here, a fruit there. She was becoming quite perplexed and would have asked someone for advice, except she wasn't really sure who to ask.

There was also the issue of the perverted, fat man. Everyday, for two weeks, he would show up in spring number 5 and apparently request for her, so that she always had to serve him. Over the two tortuous weeks she suffered many gropes, pinches, and even a few attempted kisses. The thought of his lips touching her _anywhere_ always made Sakura shudder, bile momentarily rising in her throat.

Then, a few weeks ago, the man finally showed his not-so-hidden agenda.

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__

Sakura was currently washing the fat old man's arms, as per his request, with a wash cloth. He kept sighing smugly, a constant smirk plastered on his face.

She eventually finished this chore. "How else may I serves sir?" she asked.

"Hmmm, wash my back." he said at last.

Sakura was completely appalled at this. For her to wash his back, she would have to get into the hot spring with him, sitting in the same putrid water he had been soaking in for an hour.

But she knew she could not refuse him. She was a mere servant girl, she had to do what the guests asked her.

She stood up, to strip off her kimono. Underneath the garment was another set of clothes, skintight, almost like underwear, but covering more of her than a simple bra and a pair of panties would. Even so, she blushed, feeling completely exposed and naked as the man hungrily lapped her up with his eyes, tongue practically hanging from his mouth, a thin line of drool forming at the corner of his mouth. Unshed tears burnt her eyes as she tried to look anywhere but where the man was. This was easier said than done as the room was so very, very, small and the man was so very, very, large. She compromised by looking at her feet.

"Come on then girl." the fat lecher said.

She bent to pick up her wash cloth, accidentally exposing more of herself than she meant to. Cheeks now scarlet, she climbed into the spring, situating herself behind the man's hairy back. She was now trapped, her back to the wall of the pool.

She lathered soap on to the skin that expanded before her an began to wash it, face completely blank. She tried to concentrate on anything except the fact that she was sharing a hot spring with this man, when she felt the pervert move.

He completely rotated his rotund body, now facing her. A bad feeling curled at the bottom of her stomach, instincts screaming at her to

run.__

The man leaned forward, his mouth and nasty breath just inches from her face. "Now my dear, I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen up. I have a proposition for you." he said, and reached out with his thumb, beginning to trace a circle on the fold of her knee. "How about after you get finished here you come by my place and we can…ahem…well… I'm sure you can imagine."

She could imagine, and the images flashing through her mind were so horrifying and shocking that she was transfigured to her spot, frozen solid.

"I would pay you handsomely of course. So what do you say girl… deal?" he asked, pressing even closer to Sakura, lips pursing together as though he actually intended to kiss her.

After a long pause, the man obviously began to become annoyed at the silence and said, "Well? What do you think?"

Sakura found the ability to talk again. "What do I think?" she asked in a bewildered tone.

"Yes, what do you think!" the man said, anger showing up clearly on his face.

"What do I think?" Sakura repeated. "This is what I think!"

In quick movement, Sakura, using the hand holding her washcloth, took a hold of the man's very sensitive area, grabbed it firmly and gave it a sharp twist.

The man doubled over in pain, giving Sakura a chance to escape. She quickly got up and out of the pool, grabbing her kimono and prepared to exit the room. Before she was completely out, she turned to see the writhing man one last time before saying, "Bastard!" and left.

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For the rest of the day, Sakura had hid in the kitchen, after telling Yamazaruko what had happened with many tears. She didn't leave until the old lady came, storming in, demanding to see her immediately. She then had to follow the lady to her husband's office, who took care of the business half of the onsen.

Once inside the posh office, Sakura pleaded her case to an elderly, grandfather-like figure, the husband of the mean old lady, right in front of the fat perverted man, who had apparently complained about the service. The patriarch of the onsen listened to her story and decided to take her side. He told the fat businessman that he was forever banned from coming to this onsen, telling him that he ran a respectable outfit, not some brothel.

The man left in a rage, dropping threats right and left.

__

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"You're actually going to take the word of this girl, over me? Masuhiro Nagatsuka ?"

No one said a word.

"Alright then, I'll make sure you'll never receive another client, even if it takes me a hundred years! And you," the man said, pointing one of his sausage-like finger directly at Sakura, "I'd watch your back if I was were you little girl. I have friends in many places, and no one would care at all if some little onsen serving maid suddenly disappeared, if you catch my drift."

At that, the elderly man that owned the onsen threatened to get the police if the fat man did not leave the premises immediately. He did so, but in a huff.

"Remember girl, I'd be careful if I were you."

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That night Sakura locked her door, as well as her window. She vaguely worried that Sasuke would not be able to get in, but she was much too scared of the perverted man's threats to unlock the window.

It turned out that she hadn't needed to worry. Sasuke easily slipped into her house. When he confronted her about the locks Sakura simply told him that she didn't want to talk about it. Seeing that she was obviously very upset about something, Sasuke just wrapped his arms around her, encompassing her and pulling her closer. She buried her head into his chest, and fell asleep almost instantly, though she later suffered from nightmares, as Sasuke witnessed. He tried his best to comfort her before he had to return to the demon castle, but in the end, he still had to leave her, whimpering softly into her pillow. After exiting through her window, he locked it, with skill only a demon could possess.

And so, their nightly affair continued on in this fashion. As Sasuke's ceremony came closer, so did the pair. Sasuke began to find any excuse to stay with the pink-haired beauty a little bit longer, even if only a few moments.

They told absolutely no one of their situation, keeping it a total secret, just between themselves.

But they both wondered how long it could last.

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It was two weeks until the full moon, which was to be the night of Sasuke's crowning ceremony. Tonight was to be the eve of the big ball in which Sasuke was to announce his bride to the whole kingdom.

"Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee called, waving at Sakura. He was manning a stall at the village market, his wares spread out in front of him for everyone to see. It carried many yummy looking fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers and some wild strawberries.

It was Saturday, after work, and Sakura was doing her weekly shopping for groceries. She walked over to Lee's stall.

"Konichiwa Lee-kun." she said, while picking up a cucumber to inspect it. It was perfectly firm, and a beautiful shade of green. Quality one came to expect from Takahashi Grocer's.

She began to place some cucumbers, along with other vegetables in her bag, and reached for her purse, intending to make her purchases.

"No charge." Lee told her, causing her to stop. "Not for you."

"I don't accept charity Lee-kun." she stated, her voice becoming slightly chillier. She was befuddled as to why he would not charge her. Sakura always made a point to pay for everything.

"I-it's not charity Sakura-chan, it's just a gift, from one friend to another." he said, cheeks slightly red as he grinned sheepishly.

"Lee-"

"Please Sakura-chan? Please accept my gift?" his eyes pleading her. She had no idea why this was so important to him, but she didn't wish to cause a big scene, so Sakura put away her bag.

"Konichiwa!" someone called suddenly. Both Rock Lee and Sakura turned to see Yamazaruko stride up to them, a bright smile on her face.

Lee replied to this with a smile of his own. "Hello Yamazaruko-chan!"

Yamazaruko came over and stood next to Sakura, bending over slightly to look at the food a bit more closely. She started to pick out some produce and placed them in her own bag she was carrying, already weighed down with earlier purchases. She began to make small talk with Lee, covering all the basic topics such as the weather, and how was business. When she went to pay for the groceries Sakura noticed Lee accepted her money without any argument.

"Well, I have to go now." Sakura said, not really sure who she was directing her statement at.

"Wait, Sakura, tomorrow's your day off, right?" Lee asked.

"Hai. Tomorrow's Sunday" she replied.

"Do you think I could meet you somewhere, I have something I want to talk to you about." he said, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"Uh, sure, Where do you want to meet?" she inquired.

"How about that hill near the woods, with all of the wildflowers? Noonish?"

"Sounds all right." she replied. "If that's all, I have to go now. Sayonara Lee-kun, Yamazaruko-chan."

Sakura turned around and started to walk away. However, after only a moment, someone tapped on her shoulder and she looked back.

"Hey." Yamazaruko said, panting lightly as she finished her running, an attempt to catch up to Sakura.

"Hello Yamazaruko-chan." Sakura said, but without much feeling. She didn't feel like being sociable at the moment, but was unsure of how to shake off the brunette without upsetting her.

"Sooooo…" Yamazaruko began, voice carrying a hint of conspiracy. "What do you think Lee-kun wants to talk to you about?"

"How should I know?" asked Sakura, slowly becoming impatient. She just felt like being by herself right now, and did not truly appreciate her newfound shadow.

"You mean, you totally haven't noticed?" Yamazaruko questioned, shock lacing her voice.

"Noticed what?" Sakura's tone was now becoming a little snappy as she made an unconscious ploy to try and give Yamazaruko a hint to leave her alone.

"It's totally obvious!" the brown-headed girl declared.

"Yamazaruko-chan, you're nor making any sense. Are you going to explain or what?" Sakura stated.

"No I'm not going to explain, not if your going to be so oblivious about it. Do you realize girls would _kill_ to be in your position! It's a crying shame! I sure wouldn't mind if it happened to me, especially if it was Lee-kun…" she finished, her sentence faltering off as her eyes glazed over and she briefly entered some fantasy-world.

"Wha-" Sakura was about to ask before Yamazaruko quickly interrupted to say, "Haven't you ever thought about your future?" throwing Sakura completely off-guard, making her silent.

"I mean, I haven't ever seen you checking out a guy, or show any interest in one."

"Well I-"

"I mean, have you ever even kissed a guy?"

"Actually I-"

"Sakura-chan, if you don't start showing an interest into these sort of things you'll just grow into some old cat lady, all alone."

"But I-"

"I'm only telling you this because I'm your friend, and I worry about you Sakura-chan. All you do, everyday, is work, work, work. You need to get out more, try courting someone. If you don't get a move on it soon, it'll be too late. No one's going to want to marry some old, flabby forty-year-old."

"I'm not for-"

"Take what I've said into consideration Sakura-chan, think it over, sleep on it. You might find it to be helpful. Well, I have to go now. I hope our little talk has been of some benefit to you." Yamazaruko finished, waving before ambling away, leaving a confused Sakura, to stunned to move.

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Sasuke entered the Great Hall of the castle and was transported into a whirlwind of flailing bodies and mass confusion. Thousands of servants were running to and fro, setting up tables, hanging elaborate banners, placing shining silverware on every flat surface that could be construed as a tabletop. The floor reflected back up at him with a bright glare as it had been polished by a veritable militia of workers.

"Ah, Sasuke, there you are." said a gentle voice to his left. He turned to see his mother walk towards him, each step as graceful as if she were a swan. She wore a beautiful kimono, one where the material acted almost as a liquid, and fit the confines of her body perfectly. Her long hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, while she sported a pair of cat ear's on top of her head. Sasuke's mom had been a part of a demon cat clan, and many of her refined features and movements were considerably feline in nature.

"What do you think of the decorations?" she asked, excitement easily coming through, showing on her visage. Sasuke's mother was always big on grand parties and balls and was extremely comfortable in the position of gracious hostess.

"It-It's, do you think it might be a bit much Mother?" he finally said, as he watched twenty servants carry a massive bowl. Filled with what, he did not know.

Disappointment flashed across her face. "No of course not."

"Then what's that?" he said, pointing towards a huge fountain, erected at the far side of the room, where servants were busy pouring bottle after bottle in to.

"Oh that, it's a fountain filled with sake, so the guests can just dip a cup in and drink up!" she said, face flushed with heady eagerness.

"Uh huh, and that?" he said, inquiring about the pile of wood that resembled his likeness, being constructed in the open courtyard.

"Oh, it's going to be this huge bonfire, everyone will absolutely love it!" Sasuke's mother declared happily.

"Why does it look like me?" he asked, almost scared of the answer.

"It's suppose to symbolize this turning point in your life. It's burning away the old you, down to the core where a stone statue of you is, complete with royal robes. It's shows the transition from prince, to king." she told him.

"Right." Sasuke said, unsure of how to really reply to such a thing. He knew his mother had spent a lot of time and effort into this, but Sasuke was beginning to find certain things (the wooden statue being among them) slightly creepy. "Let's hope it doesn't symbolize something else." he muttered under his breath.

"So, have you decided already?" his mother inquired, changing the subject, hardly batting an eye at Sasuke's less than ecstatic response to the Ball preparations.

"What mother?"

"Have you decided? Who's the lucky girl?" her face split apart with a wide smile. Along with being the perfect hostess, Sasuke's mother also often indulged herself by being one of Konoha's top gossip mongers. She was always one of the first to know about anything that happened in the kingdom.

"I'm, um, contemplating it, toying with a few options." Sasuke lied. He really had not given this subject much thought. When anyone brought it up his mind instantly wandered toward Sakura.

Of course he knew it was unrealistic. They could never _really_ be together, but that didn't stop him from imagining such a situation. He often daydreamed about what a life with her would be like, marriage, having a few kids, growing old together.

What had started out as an unreasonable infatuation was slowly becoming the real thing, or already was, and it was only now that Sasuke was beginning to realize this. He really couldn't think of himself settling for anybody else now that he had met the pink-haired girl.

"Sasuke?" his mother asked, concern etched on her elegant features. He realized he must have appeared saddened, which was the exact emotion he was feeling.

"I'm sorry mother, I have to go now." he told her before exiting the craziness of the Great Hall. He really needed a nice, quiet place to think. Automatically he steered his body towards the gardens.

He berated himself for showing his sadness in front of his mother. If he wasn't careful, she might begin to inquire about him, and then she might find out about his late night activities. So far he had not been discovered, but all it took was one mistake…

__

"But how can I not be sad?"

he asked himself. Tonight would be the last time he'd get to see Sakura, as the next two weeks he would hardly have a moment to himself. He would also be betrothed, and it would be wrong of him to meet with another girl that was _not_ his fiancée. 

"Damn it." he cursed under his breath. "Why does my life have to so complicated?"

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Sakura was completely silent, moving like a wraith, as she finished her shopping and went home, Yamazaruko's "advice" still ringing in her ears.

She was unable to think of anything the rest of the day, even up to when she began to get ready for bed.

__

"Will I really become some old cat lady if I don't start focusing on boys now?"

she wondered.

_"I mean, is this thing with Sasuke really anything. I'm not even totally sure he's real. What if I'm throwing away my real life for a dream one?"_

"I mean, I really like him."

she continued. Memories flooded her mind. Late nights, sharing her bed with him. His kisses were breathtaking, his hands magical, but there was so much to him than just that. Some nights they whittled away several hours simply talking, and it felt like they could talk for all eternity and never run out of things to say.

_"But I don't know what he thinks of me."___

"That's stupid Sakura,"

she argued with herself,

_"Of course he likes you, why else would he come every night?"___

"Maybe he just thinks I'm easy , and he's just using me."

__

"Ridiculous, if that were so, he would have gone all the way by now."

__

"Maybe he's just waiting for the right opportunity."

On and on she went, arguing with herself, her thoughts always circling around so that she would go through the exact same arguments until she completely broke down and began to cry.

And she didn't stop 'til Sasuke arrived.

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Sasuke crept up to Sakura's closed window. He heard a muffled sound through the thin wooden shutters. He quietly unlocked them, opening them to find Sakura, sitting on her mat, tears running down her face.

She looked up and saw that he was there. Her crying paused, but he saw from the look in her eyes that it could start again at any minute.

He climbed in and walked towards her. He sat by her, and held her face with his right hand, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly. He was deeply disturbed, hating the sight of her pain. He wanted to fix what ever caused it.

But she just began to cry even more, and buried her head into his chest. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her and began to rock her, back and forth, like a mother trying to comfort an upset infant.

After a minute, the front of Sasuke's kimono was completely soaked, but he didn't care. Sakura's tears were slowly becoming less and less. At last she leaned back to stare up at Sasuke, eye's still watery.

"What happened Sakura?"

She paused to wipe away her tears with the heel of her palm, "I'm sorry Sasuke. Someone told me something to day and it got me thinking and…"

"And what?" he asked, desperately wanting to get to the bottom of the matter so that he could fix it. He never wanted to see Sakura cry like that again.

"And…I'm so confused! About several things. About Me, and You and this!" she wailed, whole body shuddering with dry sobs. "I mean, I know I like you, I think I might even be in love with you (Sasuke's heart flipped-flopped at this) but you probably don't feel the same and I have no idea where this _thing_ is headed or if it's even real, and…" Sakura was rambling now.

Sasuke gently held Sakura's face with his hands, making her look right into his eyes. "Sakura, I never said I didn't like you."

"But-" she began, before Sasuke took his thumb, pressing it lightly on her soft lips, signaling her to be quiet. He leaned closer to her, lips inches from hers.

"Sakura, I love you. I realize that now." he told her simply, finally confessing what he had always known to be true, even if he had taken forever to come to that conclusion.

Her eyes widened, but not from shock. Well, that was a part of it. But Sasuke also saw an elated look in them, a feeling that easily went down to the very core of her soul.

"But if you don't believe me, I'd be more than happy to show you." he completed, bringing his lips to hers, closing the gap between their bodies.

The kiss was passionate, one that said everything they could not quite be voiced with words. Their love for each other, their need for each other, everything they felt, expressed with the one kiss.

They eventually broke apart, and Sasuke touched his forehead to Sakura's, staring into her mint-green eyes, glazed over with bliss.

"If you don't mind, I'd like for you to show me a bit more of what you were talking about." she said, red tinting her cheeks at the innuendo.

Sasuke chuckled, "That's one thing you don't have to ask twice for."

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Poor Sakura… Now I really hate that fat man… grr….

What's up with Rock Lee? Hmmm…

Tee hee, the ending makes me giggle because I am such a hopeless romantic…

****

TranslationsKimono

-Japanese robe****

Onsen

-hot spring (hot tub)****

the husband who took care of the business half of the onsen

- Although traditionally, the husband owns and runs the business, in certain businesses, like onsens and hotels, it is the _wife_ who is the true face of the establishment. She acts as hostess, while the husband merely stays in the background, crunching the numbers.****

Masuhiro Nagatsuka

-In this case I wrote his name in the western tradition, First name, than last name. Japanese do it the opposite (last, then first) so Masuhiro is his first name, but would probably be ore often called by his last name.****

Konichiwa

- Good Morning****

-kun

- title used for boys mainly****

-chan

- title used for girls or younger boys****

Hai

-yes****

Sayonara

-Good Bye****

Kimono

-Japanese robe****

Sake- alcohol

Bed mat

-a mat you sleep on, and then roll it up when you're done

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Hands roamed over naked forms, trying to touch everywhere at once. Hungry lips devoured every inch of skin they could reach. Heated moans and crys were realeased into the cold air._

"_Sasuke."_

"_Sakura."_

_The two continued their love making, each other's carresses bringing in them both closer and closer to the edge of sanity. Passionate emotions, too strong for words, were displayed physicaly, from the lightest touches to the deepest of kisses._

_Their mutual excitement grew, nearing their climax. Fingers danced on bare, glistening skin at bluring speeds, kisses becoming more needy, as they both saught for release. Minds fogged at each wave of pleasure that hit them._

_Suddenly, for a split-second, their mind's eye saw everything with such clarity as the most euphoric pleasure pierced through their shrouded over minds. They both cried out at the wonderful sensation emanating from down below._

_They collapsed, unconsciousness hitting them harshly after their heady love making. They both fell asleep, arms entangled with the other's, listening to their erratic hearts slowly calm down, and then, begin to beat in sync with each other._

_Unknown to the sleeping pair, a dark shadow of a man stole away in the night, having witnessed the whole thing._

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Sakura opened her eyes sluggishly, a last ditch to effort to ward off the coming morning. and stared up at the ceiling. The first sensation she felt was a soreness in her midsection. Her foggy mind cleared enough for her to recall where the soreness had come from, and a blush appeared on her cheeks. She then realized her arms were wrapped around something, a very warm something. She turned her head to the left and saw a young man with dark blue hair lying next to her, with his own arms wrapped possessively around her waist.

Sakura spent several moments, gazing at the face of her mystery lover. His carved-from-marble features were softened in the morning light. He looked so peaceful as he slept, mouth slightly open as he let out a satisfied fluttering sigh, his sweet breath tickling her cheek.

Slowly, so as not to wake up the sleeping figure by her, Sakura slid herself over on top of the young man and laid down on his stomach. His head turned towards her, but he did not wake up.

She continued to ogle the handsome face. His pale skin reflected the rosy tint of the light seeping its way into the room. She reached up with a hand and, with one finger, traced the line his cheek and angular jaw formed.

She suddenly felt an almost uncontrollable urge to run her hands through his hair. Although she had done that many times last night (Sakura blushed again at these recollections) the hair looked incredibly soft in the glow of the approaching dawn. She imagined it would feel like fine silk, a rare object she had once had the pleasure to touch.

She reached up to Sasuke's mane of midnight hair, and began to stroke it. The hair felt good under her fingertips, soft as a kitten's fur. She continued to pet him in such a manner for several minutes.

However, her hand strayed over a curious bump, hard as bone. She pushed back some of the locks of hair that was covering up this anomaly and found a small horn exactly like a goat's. She found a complimentary one on the other side of his head.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed together at this mystery. She did not recall at all last night of ever feeling a pair of bumps. What did this mean? She pinched one of the horns between her thumb and index finger.

Suddenly Sasuke's eyes snapped open. Sakura's shocked face stared down at Sasuke's blank one. Neither moved, simply staring at each other. Sakura was unable to determine what Sasuke was thinking from his emotionless face.

"_Is he mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"_ she wondered.

After a few heart pounding moments, Sasuke sighed. "I suppose this was bound to happen." he said, more to himself than Sakura.

"Wha-what are the-"

"They're horns." Sasuke interrupted, stating the obvious. "They're horns that I usually shrink to hide, but they just grow back if I'm unconscious."

"You have h-horns because?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"I have horns because I am a demon." came the simple reply.

"Wh-What? You can't be a de-demon. You're lying. You-your." Sakura tried to say, but she kept tripping over her words, tangling them up in her mouth. This was all some immense joke, some prank of Sasuke's.

Sasuke sat up, holding Sakura in his lap with his strong arms. He looked directly into her eyes so that she could see his honesty. "Sakura, what I'm telling you is the one hundred percent truth. I am Sasuke Uchiha, of the Royal Demon family of the Kingdom of Konoha. I am the heir apparent to the throne."

"What!" Sakura shouted, her whole world thrown out of whack. _"First he tells me he's a demon, then he tells me that not only is he a demon, he's also a _prince_. What the hell is going on?"_

She looked into his eyes, waiting for the moment when Sasuke would say, "Surprise! I fooled you good." and they would laugh the whole thing off. But the moment never came. After several seconds of intense examination of Sasuke's eyes, Sakura realized that what he said was the truth, or what he thought was to be the truth.

"_Maybe he's an escapee from an insane asylum." _she thought.

"Prove it." she said, voice somewhat harsh, but that was just to cover up her fear and confusion.

Sasuke flinched at her coldness, as though she had physically struck him. "Prove that I'm a demon?" he asked.

"Y-yes." Sakura hesitated.

He smiled softly down at her, trying to be comforting. "Alright, since the horns aren't proof enough." he said, somewhat sarcastically. "I suppose I could perform some sort of trick."

He scratched his chin, considering what task he would perform. He came to his conclusion quickly. He then arranged his fingers in a random series of positions. After that, he held his right hand with his left, concentrating on it, glaring at it with all of his might. Sakura sat in his lap, watching his performance with a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

Suddenly, his hand burst into flames. Sakura cried out reflexively, shrinking back from the small tongues of fire, trying to think of some way to stop the blaze that should be burning the flesh off of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke, noticing the look of abject horror on Sakura's face, placed his left hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "It's perfectly safe. Here, you can even touch it."

Sakura reached out with a finger, pausing before bringing it to Sasuke's palm. She felt the flames tickle her, but they did not burn.

Just as the flames had started suddenly, they stopped in the same fashion. Sasuke curled his fingers around Sakura's extended hand.

"Sakura, I realize this is very hard to accept, but please believe me. Everything I've ever told you is completely true. _Everything._" he said, emphasizing the last word. "Especially what I said last night."

Sakura just gawked at Sasuke's previously inflamed hand, enveloping her own human one. She wanted to believe, a small part of her actually did. Furthermore, that part also didn't care if he was demon or not, she knew she loved him, and that he loved her back. The part was also growing inside of her, but shock had frozen her lips, not allowing Sakura to voice these thoughts. It was all too much to take in like this.

"So, s-so. You're a demon?" she asked, saying the first thing that came to her head, trying to break the spell that had silenced her.

"Yes, I am a demon. But…but there is more to it Sakura-chan." he said quietly, voice level despite all of the emotions churning away in his stomach.

"_What if she doesn't accept this? What if she becomes disgusted by me?"_

"More?" Sakura said, not quite sure if she was all to eager to find out about some other surprising news.

"Yes Sakura. I told you earlier that I was a demon prince? Do you remember?" he questioned.

He had only said it a mere ten minutes ago, but Sakura had to concentrate deeply to recall the statement. The fire had completely wiped her mind of really any coherent thought, and she was finding it hard to focus on anything.

"Yes." she finally said.

"Well, not only am I a demon prince, I also happen to be the next in line for the demon throne." Sasuke watched Sakura's face for some sort of reaction, but all she did was stare down at his hand with a quiet, almost thoughtful, look.

"Sakura," he said quietly, nearly whispering, his voice pleading. She looked up at him, seeing for the first time the pain in his eyes. "Sakura, as the next in line to be king, I have to choose a bride, to be my queen."

Sakura's eyes widened. Jealousy swept through her at the thought of all of these rivals that she had never realized existed, all vying for Sasuke's attention. There was also a pang of sadness that rang through her body's core.

"_Does this mean, we can't actually be together?"_ she thought, tears threatening to start.

"So why did you come here?" she asked, anger masking her true feelings. "If you have all these other suitors, why the hell did you come to me? Just so you could mess with me? It must have been like some big game for you? Huh? That's all I was, some challenge." Sakura bristled. She yanked back her hand, trying to release it from the confines of Sasuke's, but he just reached out and grabbed both of her hands, pulling them closer to him.

"That's not it Sakura. I love you! I want _you_ to be my bride!" he yelled, releasing all of his emotions in a sudden burst. Sakura looked at him with amazement, mint-green eyes wider than they had ever been.

"Sakura," Sasuke started again, trying to gain his composure. "Sakura, I love you, absolutely. I've never met someone like you. You're the only one I can say for sure actually loved me for me, and not because of what or who I am. All my life I've been told I'll have to someday marry some demonness of a respectable family, but I can't do that now, not after having met you. It's funny, two months ago I had no idea who you were, and now I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be if you were not in it. I try and all I get is a feeling of complete and total grief and loneliness."

He paused, trying to catch his breath. Releasing all of this pent up passion was difficult, as it all clambered on top of each other, trying to get out all at once. But he wanted to do this correctly, not look like some idiot.

"Sakura, each time I see you I think 'Her, she's the one.' I want to wake up every morning and see you there, right next to me, like this morning. I want you to be the last thing I see every night when I go to sleep. Your hands," he said, pulling at Sakura's gently for emphasis, "Are the only ones I ever want to hold, and I want to be the only one to hold them." It was slowly becoming too much. His eyes were actually beginning to burn of unshed tears. Tears at the frustration he was feeling, unsure if Sakura was quite seeing his urgency and complete honest-to-God truth.

"Sakura, will you become my bride, my queen, my life partner?" he asked.

She looked back at him, deep into his eyes. For the third or fourth time that morning, she was completely unable to speak. But this time was different. Before the shock was somewhere along the lines of horror. Now, although she felt completely numb, one feeling rang pure, a feeling of total happiness. Her heart ached, and she felt like her chest could not contain it, as though it was seconds away from leaping out, to join its partner residing in Sasuke.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, voice fearful of the pause that had followed his proposal. "Sakura, what do y-"

"Yes!" she cried, tears of joy leaking out from the corners of her eyes as she leapt up and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck. He sighed in relief and buried his head into Sakura's neck, inhaling the scent of the woman that would be his for all eternity, until death do they part.

They embraced for several moments, reveling in the feeling of each other's touch. They eventually parted and Sakura wiped away her tears, slightly embarrassed at her display of emotion.

Suddenly, a question entered her mind. "Sasuke?" she began.

"Hmm?" he replied, enfolding his arms around Sakura's waist, pulling her again into his lap.

"You said that you're suppose to marry a demonness…but, well…I'm not one…so…" she faltered off.

Sasuke gazed up at the ceiling, contemplating deeply on this matter, before looking back at the pink-haired woman. "Well, there's technically no law against my marrying a mortal girl, just that I'm suppose to marry on the night of my coronation. Besides, if someone has a problem with it, they'll just have to get over it, because there is no way I'm letting you go now."

Sakura smiled and leaned into Sasuke's figure. They listened to each other's breathing, whiling away the time it took for the sun to completely rise.

Sasuke became conscious of the time first and sighed as he realized he had to leave Sakura, though hopefully for the last time. He then remembered what tonight was.

"Oh, um, Sakura. There's this _thing._" he said, voice portraying a degree of nervousness.

"What sort of thing?" she asked.

"Well, I'm suppose to announce my bride in front of the kingdom at a ball, which happens to be tonight. Since you're my intended, your presence is somewhat required."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah."

"That's all right, I don't mind. Except…except I don't really have anything nice to wear." she told him.

"Oh well, that's easily fixable." Sasuke replied, smiling.

"I'd love to come to your ball." Sakura said, smiling at the prospect of it. She had never before been to any fancy party, and quickly her mind began to create an image of grand rooms, with fine ladies dressed in the most spectacular clothing…

Sasuke smiled back. "I'll come around noon to get you and take you to the castle then."

Something in the sentence rang a bell in Sakura's mind. She was suppose to do something at noon today…

"Wait, I'm meeting an old friend of mine today, at noon, is that okay?" she inquired.

Sasuke thought it over, "I suppose so, I'll just wait for you here. Just try not to take too long, there'll be a limited window of opportunity for us to sneak you inside the castle with no one noticing. It'd probably be best if no one saw you before tonight."

"All right." Sakura answered, slightly perturbed at the fact that she had to be snuck in, as if she was dangerous contraband or something.

Sasuke place a kiss on Sakura's forehead, "I'll see you later koi." he grinned at the thought, knowing that soon, he would be able to see his love when ever he wished.

He rose up and left the house. He carefully made his way away from the village in the morning light, so as not to be spotted by someone.

Sakura watched him leave, a dreamy look in her eyes. She had a feeling that all of her worries and concerns had now been dealt with, and what she had to look forward to was an eternity with Sasuke, which was certainly a happy eternity by her accounts.

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"Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee called at the top of the hill.

Sakura looked up towards him. He was wearing a green kimono, one that seemed to match his black hair and eyebrows perfectly.

She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She was in a happy self-contained bubble all because of that morning. The smile on her face was still there, setting up permanent residence.

"I see your in a good mood this morning." commented Lee. "It looks like you've got some good news."

"I do." she replied.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You first. What was so important that you had to drag me up here?" she asked, teasing her childhood friend.

But Lee sat, silent. He looked all around him. The wildflowers were still in bloom, and as beautiful as ever.

"Do you remember, when we were young. We'd come up here and pick flowers?" he asked.

"Hai." answered Sakura.

"_He made me come out here for a trip down memory lane?"_

"Do you remember, it was really long ago so I'll understand if you don't, but it was a day, similar to this. The sun was blazing, flowers blooming. We had come up here to pick some flowers for our mothers." he began.

Sakura only nodded. She didn't really remember that particular day. There were a lot of times Lee and her climbed this hill to pick flowers for their moms.

"You asked me if I had ever kissed a girl." Rock Lee's lips curled into a smile at the memory. "I had said, 'No, I haven't.' You then asked if I wanted to kiss you, to see what it would be like."

Sakura still didn't remember what Lee was talking about.

"I said 'Sure.'" continued Lee, oblivious to Sakura's lack of memory. He laughed out loud. "It was quite funny, both of us not sure what to do. We closed our eyes and stuck out our lips waaaaaaaay far." he puckered and pushed his own out and screwed his eyes shut, as if to show how exactly ridiculous the two had been.

"In the end, we didn't even end up kissing, our noses ran into each other!" he said brightly, barking out a short laugh. "It's funny, thinking about it."

His countenance then grew very serious, eyebrows furrowing together. "And then, then you asked me, you said…"

"I asked you to marry me, when we were all grown up, because I didn't want to marry someone I didn't know." she stage whispered. That sunny afternoon clearly seen in her mind. She had asked Rock Lee, years ago, to promise to marry her, because she had wanted to marry only someone who she knew very well, like Lee… "But, but Lee, that was when we were kids, you know just fooling around." she said, getting a bad feeling in her gut.

"I know, it was a stupid promise made between two little kids." he said, smiling. Somehow, his usual bright and cheery smile seemed sad.

"Lee-"

"Would you take these Sakura-chan?" he asked, handing a huge bouquet of wildflowers. He knelt down by her, on one knee. The bad feeling in her stomach grew.

"Lee-"

"Wait one second. Sakura, ever since that day, I've known that I love you, and that I really did want to marry you, not just because of some silly kid thing. I've always planned to ask you, and well, here I am." he took a hold of Sakura's right hand. The bad feeling was curdling away at double speed now. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

Silence fell upon the hill.

"I-I realize it's something you have to think about, but I just want you to know that I really, really do love you…"

"Lee-"

"And that I would make sure you were always well taken care of…"

"I can-"

"I would never let you go hungry, and I'd work so hard you'd never have to lift a finger ever."

"LEE!" yelled Sakura, interrupting the rambling bowl-headed youth.

"Yes?" he asked, eyes so painfully hopeful that Sakura had to turn her head away.

"Lee, I, I.." she stuttered. _"How the heck do I do this?" _"Lee, I don't think I can marry you, because…because I don't feel the same way about you as you feel about me. I still care about you, and feel for you, but not in that way." she said, feeling so incredibly guilty.

"Oh." he said simply, as his face fell. "I see." surprisingly, he chuckled, though it sounded slightly bitter. "I guess I must sound completely stupid."

"Lee, I'm really sorry, I do believe what you said." _"Which makes it all the more sad." _"I really do, but…"

"It's okay, I understand." Lee interrupted.

"You do?"

"Yes." he said. Though his face did not betray any emotion, Sakura could almost picture a pout forming on Lee's lips.

"If it's any consolation, what you did was extremely brave." she said, and meant it. It would be extremely hard to tell your crush of nigh on seventeen years how you felt."

"Thanks." he replied. Sakura knew he wasn't trying to be grouchy, but owing to the circumstances, it was excusable.

They sat in an awkward silence, one the friends had never before experienced. Sakura felt so guilty for upsetting Lee, but what else could she have done? She had said yes to Sasuke first, and even if Rock Lee _had_ asked before Sasuke, Sakura still probably would have turned him down. She simply did not see her friend in that way.

It still didn't help her guilt.

"I have to go Lee-kun, but it really was nice seeing you though." Sakura said finally, rising up.

"Sakura-chan, before you go, what was your news?" Rock Lee inquired.

"_And what do I say to __that__!"_

"Oh, it was nothing, nothing really." _"Liar."_ she told herself.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Rock Lee turned his face away from her, looking back at the hill. "Well, okay then. It was nice seeing you Sakura-chan."

"Sayonara Lee-kun."

Sakura walked off, towards her house, where she knew Sasuke would be waiting.

"_Damn it, that was so awkward. How do you handle something like that? Especially after this morning?"_

Sakura's mind wandered, attempting to forget about the scene that had occurred on the hilltop.

A thought struck here.

"I guess this is what Yamazaruko-chan was talking about yesterday, or something like it."

She stopped in her walking, trying to recall every bit of her conversation with the brunette yesterday, but the task was impossible. As soon as she remembered one thing, the whole train of thought would slip through her fingers like a bar of soap. She decided to abandon her quest. She ran off towards her house, never looking back.

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"So what did you and your old friend talk about?" asked Sasuke, trying to start up a pleasant conversation, unknowing to the fact that he had just opened a whole can of worms.

"Oh, nothing really…just about old times." Sakura told him.

The couple were walking through the demon's woods, on their way to the castle. The going was tough, as they had climb over rocks and logs. The pair was trying to avoid the beaten path, as they may have been spotted. As a result, they had to go through the woods with out any convenient forest path.

"Is that all?" Sasuke asked, helping Sakura through a particularly tough set of bushes.

"Yeah. Man, I'm getting all scratched up." Sakura noticed as she looked down at her arms in legs. Angry red lines wrapped around her.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said.

"Oh it's-whoa!" Sasuke suddenly picked up Sakura. She was now riding him piggy-back style. She quickly wrapped her legs and arms around him, securing herself to prevent her from falling.

"Comfy?" asked Sasuke, an elusive laugh mingled into his voice, as he began walking again.

"If I was going too slow you could have told me." Sakura teased.

"You weren't going too slow, but this way we'll get there twice as fast."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

But she never got a reply as the two came upon a high wall. Sasuke let Sakura gently down, and took a hold of her hand.

"The kitchen entrance is around here." he said, walking off and dragging Sakura behind him.

After only a moment, they came across a small plot of land, cultivated with small green shoots growing. Next to the square was a simple oaken door.

"This is the kitchen's herb garden, although I think they grow some carrots and whatnot." explained Sasuke, before he turned to the door and opened it.

"Wait- aren't you going to check if the coast is clear?" asked Sakura, worried about what would happen if they just suddenly walked into a kitchen, which was sure to have a few people working in it.

"Oh, don't worry. This is just a small side room off the main kitchen. It's where they store the chef's aprons." Sasuke told her.

He pulled her into to a small, dimly-lit room that smelled of faintly of wasabi. Sasuke let go of her hand briefly to take down something off a wall hook.

"Here, put this on. It will help disguise you and your aura." clarified Sasuke, handing her a giant white smock with a small fan embroidered on the right-hand breast.

"Aura?" asked Sakura.

"Every living things gives a distinct aura." explained Sasuke as he helped Sakura into the cumbersome outfit. "The more powerful the being, the larger the aura. Human's auras are always different from a demon's, generally being more weak, though there are some humans with very powerful auras, even by our standards. You also have a distinct smell, a human smell, that any demon worth their salt will be able to pick up. You'll stick out like a sore thumb. This smock will help camouflage you enough that hopefully no one will notice, especially as everyone is incredibly busy preparing for tonight."

At last the smock was completely buttoned, and still Sakura had to roll up the sleeves as they, like the rest of the costume, were much too big.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah." she replied. He placed a small kiss on her forehead, causing her insides to melt slightly.

"I'm really sorry we have to go through all of this, but once I've shown you to the rest of the kingdom, you won't have to sneak around." he told her, while gently squeezing her hands.

"It's okay, I want this too you know. Besides, it's kind of exciting." she said, hoping her voice did not betray her. In reality, she was scared of what might happen if she _were_ caught before tonight.

"Okay, now once we leave this room, we're not allowed to talk to each other, and your not allowed to look at me, simple protocol, just look down and follow my feet, okay? I'll tell you when we are in a safe place. Ready?" he asked again.

"Hai."

"Then here we go." he said, opening the door leading to the kitchen.

If Sakura had thought the noise and confusion of the onsen kitchen's to be utter chaos, then this place was a veritable apocalypse. Bodies running back and forth, carrying steaming pots, somehow avoiding accidents. Knifes chopped at lightning speed. Vegetables were sautéed, flambéed, breaded, stir fried, steamed, rolled around with butter, you name it. And that wasn't even the tip of the iceberg.

"Sakura!" came a voice. She turned her head and saw Sasuke, standing there, waiting for her to hurry up. He had called out for her as loud as he dared. It was a wonder she was able to hear him over the din of noises in the kitchen.

Remembering what he had said earlier, she ducked her head and followed him, never losing sight of his sandals.

They eventually left the kitchen, only to enter the equally confusing and disorderly hallways. Servants running up and down the corridors, holding napkins, plates, feather dusters, just about everything but the kitchen sink. Keeping up with Sasuke's feet was becoming quite a daunting task.

They turned down hallway after hallway, passing about a thousand demons. Sakura hardly dared to breathe. She just knew that any moment, someone would stop and say, "Hey, isn't that a _human_? What's a human doing here?"

Eventually though, Sasuke's feet led into a room. She kept her head ducked, unsure of what to do next.

"It's alright now Sakura, we're in good company now."

She looked up. They were in a large room, walls painted a simple white, which reflected the light coming in from the large open windows greatly. She looked closer and realized the walls were not made up of rice paper screens. Most peculiar, it looked like some invention from the continent. Over in one corner stood a door. She spotted a few pieces of furniture, including one vanity mirror, along with a folding screen, the kind you would dress behind, decorated with an elaborate Ukiyo-e scene. The picture depicted a spring scene, with sakura blossoms. A young woman sat by a stream, playing a koto.

She then realized that there were other occupants in the room. One was a young man, shorter than Sasuke, with a brilliant shock of yellow hair, as well as whisker marks on his cheeks. He was angrily glaring at both Sakura and Sasuke. The other individual was a young woman, with dark hair and comforting pupil-less lavender eyes.

"Sakura, this is Naruto Uzamaki and Hinata Hyuuga, friends of mine, Naruto, Hinata, this is Sakura." Sasuke said, first pointing at the man, and then the girl.

"It's nice to meet you." Hinata said, extending her hand for a hand shake.

"Same here." Sakura replied, reaching out her own hand.

Naruto, who had supposedly been holding back, suddenly burst out. "Sasuke! What did I tell you! I said to forget it, and focus on finding a bride! How is your father going to accept this? I'll tell you how, he's going to kill you, and then he's going to kill me!"

"Naruto, I already explained to you. I love Sakura, how can I even begin to think about marrying someone else?"

Sakura's heart fluttered when Sasuke said he loved her. She doubted that she'd ever get tired of that line. She could hear it a thousand times and her heart would still do that funny flip-flop thing.

"But what about your father?" questioned Naruto, obviously not convinced that Sasuke's excuse would be enough.

"Let me take care of my father." assured Sasuke.

Naruto crossed his arms, and glared at Sasuke. After a few beats though, he heaved a sigh and his face attempted a smile.

"Okay, I'll help. I'm not entirely thrilled mind you," he wagged a finger at Sasuke, "But I can see that this is important to you. But mark my words, if your father kills you, my hands are clean."

"Consider them marked." Sasuke smiled, a genuine one, a very rare occurrence for the young prince that was becoming more and more frequent.

"Naruto Uzamaki." the blonde said, extending his hand out for Sakura to take. She did so graciously.

"Sakura, it's important that you stay here, until the ball tonight. If someone spots you before then there is no way of telling what might happen, so for both of our sake's, please stay here." Sasuke said, turning to Sakura.

"Alright." came the simple reply. She wasn't sure if she really could stomach going out into that tornado again.

"Naruto, I need you to come with me for a while. Hinata-chan, do you mind staying here?" Sasuke directed at the other young woman.

"No, of course not." she said, smiling cheerfully.

"It's four hours 'til the party, so I'm afraid you'll have to stay here 'til then." Sasuke said, giving Sakura an apologetic look.

"That's alright, I'll keep her company!" declared Hinata happily. She flashed another smile in Sakura's direction. Hinata was obviously a person easy to make friends with.

"All right then, we need to go." Sasuke told the two females. Before he and Naruto had completely exited, he quickly spun around, having remembered something. "And Hinata-chan, what ever you do, do not let Ino anywhere near this door."

"Hai!"

The two males left, leaving Hinata and Sakura alone.

"Well, we have a few hours before we need to start worrying about getting ready… There's a pool with hot water in that room over there, would you like to go take a soak?" Hinata suggested.

Sakura nodded her head enthusiastically. She had worked at an onsen for a few months, but had only actually gone into a hot spring a few times (one time she was trying to permanently erase from her mind.)

Suddenly, a thought hit her.

"Hinata, who's Ino?"

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"And your sure this is absolutely true?"

"I saw it with my own eyes sir." came the reply.

"Good, good." the first man said. "To think," he began, speaking only to himself really, but the second man had the misfortune of having to listen to the rant. It came with the territory. "To think I offered her money to sleep with me, and she refuses like she's some innocent little virgin, when really, she was just sleeping with someone else. Very interesting."

As though realizing for the first time the other man, he stopped in his meanderings. "Well, what are you still doing here? Go, go spread the news. There's going to be a town meeting…" he shifted his eyes conspiratorially, "… and possibly a hanging."

The other man went off, leaving the first man in his squalid little office. For such an apparently prominent businessman, the man certainly spared one or two (or six) expenses when it came to his décor.

"That bitch is going to pay for what she did." he said aloud, before indulging in a self-satisfied chuckle.

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"Oh Sasuke! What a surprise seeing you here!"

"_Yeah, big surprise to find me in my __own__ castle…"_

Ino came sauntering up to Sasuke and Naruto, with a very scary look in her eyes. A look none to different from the that of a predator when they've finally spotted their prey and are prepared to pounce.

"So, are you looking forward to _tonight_." she said, putting unnecessary emphasis on the word. As if he didn't know what she was implying.

He looked square in the face, "Actually Ino, I am incredibly excited about tonight." and he was totally honest.

"And have you already made your…_decision_." she asked, once again placing unneeded emphasis into her words. Her not-so-subtle hints were quite annoying.

"Yes, I have." he replied, hoping the unelaborated answer would dissuade her from asking further questions.

Stupid of him really. Ino wasn't satisfied until she was satisfied, and she never left until she was. Monosyllabic answers only prolonged the inevitable.

"Soooooooo, who's the lucky girl." she inquired, leaning way forward, nearly forcing herself on Sasuke, and winked her eye. "Come on, you can tell me, I promise I'll keep it a secret."

"_For the amount of time it takes me to turn the corner."_

"I'm sorry Ino, but you'll just have to find out tonight like everyone else."

"But-"

"_Tonight_, Ino. Now, if you'll excuse me, Naruto and I have some business to take care of, _official_ business." he said, emphasizing as Ino had done earlier.

Actually, all he and Naruto were doing was getting a dress for Sakura, but Ino did not need to be privy to that kind of information.

He quickly separated himself from the desperate blonde woman, before resuming his and Naruto's journey to the seamstress's room, all the while trying to hold back the laughter that threatened to erupt after seeing the highly comical look on Ino's face.

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"Are you nervous?" Hinata asked Sakura, as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

They had already gone through the routine of what was to happen tonight. As soon as the sun began to set, Sasuke was to stand on a pre-erected stage, and before the entire demon kingdom, announce his future queen, at which time Sakura was to walk out from behind a curtain that covered the small room they occupied and join him.

"A little bit." she admitted, though the butterflies in her stomach disagreed with her. A little nervous was an understatement. She was _extremely_ anxious, and knew it must show on her face.

"You shouldn't be overly worried about it." reassured Hinata. "I know you must be scared of not being accepted and whatnot, but you really shouldn't focus on that. Sasuke is actually pretty popular among his subjects, even with his cold image. If he chooses you as his bride, many will accept. We desperately need a strong king like Sasuke, and a king can't be a king without a queen, it's an old law."

"Why do you mean you desperately need a strong king like Sasuke?" asked Sakura, curiosity crossing her face.

Hinata sighed, staring down at her feet despairingly. She hesitated, either to give her time to pick her words carefully, or out of sad reflection, or both. "We're a dying race, us demons. We were once the dominant species on the earth, everyone feared us, and with good reason. But then humans came along, and ever since then, our people have been on the decline."

Sakura bowed her head, as though to apologize, but she wasn't sure what to apologize for. Existing?

"Some demons think it's just a natural progression, and we should just accept our deterioration. Others view it differently…" she realized her mistake, "But you really shouldn't fret about it." Hinata grinned, hoping to set aside Sakura's fears.

It hadn't really worked.

To relieve some tension in her stomach and the restlessness of her legs, Sakura stood up and walked the length of the small room they were in. Once she made it to the other side, she just turned around and walked back. She paused when she reached a floor length mirror, and paused to consider her apparel.

She wore a green kimono, one that matched her eyes, that went all the way to the floor. Sprigs of sakura branches danced across the material. The dress was made of pure silk, and felt incredibly good against her bare skin. She turned her head slightly, and the hairs at the nape of her neck tweaked, uncomfortable, but not too bad. They were pulled up by one of the most beautiful kanzashi set she had ever seen. Pins bejeweled with white cherry blossom flowers, crisscrossed across her scalp, pulling her short hair into an elaborate hairdo one would not expect her length of hair to be capable of. With just a hint of blush across her cheeks, and just a little eyeliner, her natural beauty was magnified tenfold. She had to admit, she looked pretty good, though in all honesty, she was being modest of herself. She was much too impressed with her silk dress to look at anything else in the mirror.

"_It's a perfect fit too, I wonder how Sasuke got the measurements?"_

Sakura decided to ignore that question, as she turned away from her reflection. Even the feel of the luxurious cloth could not truly deter her mind from what was about to occur. The butterflies began to flutter madly.

She tried not to think of the thousand people she was about to confront, the thousand pairs of eyes that would be staring back at her two fear-filled ones. But the more she tried not to think about it, the more it kept creeping in to her mind.

She had to be brave. _"You wanted this."_ she reminded herself, and she really did. She was willing to do anything to stay with Sasuke, and if this what she had to do, then she'd do it. Besides, if Sasuke was willing to make sacrifices for her, she had to as well. According to Hinata, there might be some that would not agree with his decision. What's to stop them from attempting some sort of riot? Or worse…

"Hey Sakura, it's almost time, Sasuke's just gone up, and he's addressing everybody." Hinata said, "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

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Sasuke slowly made his way to the stage. It was nearly sunset, and time to make his announcement. Many eager eyes turned to him as he cut through the very large crowd.

He solemnly walked up a set of stairs and turned to his people. Faces, all turned towards him, portraying a look of hope, some hopeful that it would be them to be chosen, others, simply a hope for a successful future.

He stood silent, gathering his nerves. Even for Sasuke, who had faced several enemies even at a tender age, this would be difficult to get out.

"_Though not nearly as hard as actually asking Sakura." _he thought to himself, smiling. He let out a breath. If he could do that, he could do this. The hard part was over, he had gotten the girl.

"Demons of Konoha! I, Sasuke Uchiha of the royal Beast demon clan, stand before you, on the verge of becoming your king. I stand before you, as all my ancestors in the past, marking another turning point in our kingdom's illustrious history, a new era will soon begin."

The ancient words, spoken over thousands of generations, fell upon the silent crowd. Anticipation grew.

"To help me lead us into this new era, I must choose a queen. I inform you tonight that I have done so, as the ancient law dictates. I have found a young, unburdened woman who I have found to be of excellent character, and sure to be a good queen for this kingdom. The woman I intend to make my queen is…Sakura Haruno!"

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"Sakura Haruno!"

"All right Sakura, it's time." Hinata waved Sakura over to the part in the curtain where Sakura was to appear. With one last, reassuring pat on the back, Sakura left the small room they were in and walked on to the small stage.

Instantly, a thousand heads turned towards her. Eyes stared at her with a bewildered expression. Mouths opened as everyone's jaw dropped at the unexpected turn of events. But Sakura ignored all of this. She only had eyes for Sasuke, who was in turn smiling at her, encouraging her to come closer.

She reached him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She felt safer now that she was next to Sasuke.

"Demons! I have chosen this girl, Sakura Haruno, as my queen. I have found her holding all the traits desirable in a demon queen. I realize she is a mortal, but I defy anyone who wishes to challenge my choice."

This statement was met with silence, as the crowd watched Sasuke's eyes, glaring at them all. Sasuke himself glanced around, seeing everyone's reactions. He saw on his father's face a mixture of anger, as well as curiosity.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"WHAT?!?!?" called a voice. Sasuke instantly recognized it as Ino's. She expressing the opinion of many of the other demon's, including his father by the looks of it, though the rest were smart enough not to say anything.

Sasuke's father rose, to address the matter. He walked up onto the stage.

"Sasuke, might I ask you what brought you to make _this_ decision?" his voice level, though his eyes portrayed all the other emotions that were sure to be churning away behind his impenetrable mask.

"For one thing Father, I love Sakura." Sasuke replied simply, once again causing Sakura's insides to melt, even in their current situation. Everyone else just stared on at the unfolding drama before them.

"Yes, but what of the laws?"

"Technically Father, the laws simply state that I must be married on the day of my coronation. There are no other stipulations listed in the rules. It is only tradition that keeps demons from marrying anything other than other demons"

Fugaku just continued to stare at his son, words unable to exit his mouth. Sasuke returned his father's glaring with his own, standing his ground and tightening his protective arm around Sakura's waist.

The crowd and Sakura waited in bated breath, curious of the result of the impromptu glaring match. Sakura's mind was completely jumbled up. _"What happens if they don't accept? Will they execute me? Can they execute me?"_

Silence crashed through the hall in one big tidal wave, deafening every pair of ears. The only noise Sakura could hear was her heartbeat, which was steadily growing more and more erratic. She was sure it would soon collapse, along with her lungs from lack of oxygen, but she didn't dare breathe, afraid to attract even one inch of attention.

When the suspense was finally too much, the present demon king broke the silence, his words also were like a wave, but in an entirely different way.

"I suppose you wouldn't reconsider your options?" asked Fugaku finally.

"No Father. I won't." said Sasuke.

Sasuke's father heaveda sigh, resigning to himself. "If this is your choice Sasuke, then I accept your decision." Sasuke smiled, a tinge of smugness lacing it.

The crowd erupted into a happy cheer. Hinata had been right, Sakura had needed to worry about being accepted. All it took was Sasuke and his father's approval and she was received with applause.

A small band in the corner started playing music again. Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and left to join the crowd. They pair were quickly jostled as demons came forward to get a closer look at their future queen. Once they got a good look of her, they all congratulated Sasuke on finding such a beautiful catch, causing Sakura to blush. Even through all the bumping, pushing, and many bodies pressing forward to meet them, Sasuke never once let go of Sakura's hand, a warm spot of comfort and support.

The subjects even cleared a space in the middle of the floor, as Sasuke took his bride-to-be and began to dance with her in an elegant circle. His arms wrapped around her waist as she brought hers up to encircle his neck. Dark blue eyes met light green ones and they stayed there.

The two were soon joined by other dancing couples, including Naruto and Hinata, though Sasuke and Sakura certainly didn't notice. They only had eyes for each other.

"_This is it, My Happily Ever After."_ Sakura thought to herself, pressing herself closer to Sasuke.

Amidst all this commotion, one lone figure stood apart, glowering at the swaying couples in the middle. With a huff, the blonde woman turned on her heels, leaving the party. The party that was _suppose_ to be _her_ night, the night Sasuke would propose to _her_.

"_No matter, I'll get him in the end."_

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"Citizens! Citizens! Please, we must have order!" a voice called out over a boisterously loud crowd, though few heeded the issued command.

"Why are we here again?" asked someone to their neighbor.

"I don't know, they just said there was to be a town meeting tonight."

"I heard something about a hanging!" someone added in a excited tone.

"People of Konoha!" the voice called out again, somehow louder than before, and this time accompanied by a loud crash as someone hit a gong.

The sound was still ringing in everyone's ears when the fat man began again. "Thank You." he said sarcastically at the all-too-eager youth who had produced the ear-splitting noise.

"Citizens of Konoha, I have news for you. I, Masuhiro Nagatsuka, have become a witness to a terrible sin." the business man began in a melodramatic voice, his act already weaving a spell over the ignorant villagers who sat, entranced. "I have seen, with my very own eyes," he paused to point at his to puffy eyes, as if no one knew what eyes were, "A most, horrific event." again, he paused for dramatic effect, and still the audience waited on pins and needles.

"Three weeks ago, I was approached by one of our own citizens, a certain young woman named…Sakura Haruno." Gasps flooded the crowded open square situated at the town's center. The fat man, ever one for the theatrics, gazed at the setting sun in a spectacular rendition of a truly apologetic man. "And I'm afraid to say, that this Sakura approached me with a proposition, a deplorable proposition." most of the villagers could hardly keep up with the man's flowery vocabulary, but his actions were enough to keep them in rapture.

"She tried to cut a deal with me. She intended to prostitute herself to me for money." This statement was met with many gasps, though there were a few skeptical frowns interspersed amongst the crowd, namely Rock Lee, Yamazaruko, and the old man that ran the onsen.

"Now, as you know, prostitution is strictly forbidden in our fair village, the act of which is punishable by death!" the man waved his finger dramatically, stringing the villagers along further and further.

"I object to your statement!" called out a voice from the back. Everyone turned to see who would dare interrupt this enthralling performance. It was the old man from the onsen.

He began to walk confidently up to the fat business man that stood before the crowd, his steps enunciating his words. "I happen to know for a fact that three weeks ago it was _you_ that proposed to Sakura." he smiled smugly, figuring he had beaten the other man.

But the old lecher only smirked, "Are you so sure sir? It was in fact Haruno-san that approached me first. I had actually set up a test, one in order to catch her in the act, a very clever one." he turned, assuring the crowd. The crowd 'ooed' and aahed appreciatively at the man's self-proclaimed cleverness. "It unfortunately backfired," the crowd groaned sympathetically, "And I was thrown out of your establishment before I could even explain myself." Masuhiro concluded, while pointing an accusatory finger at the onsen-owner. The crowd booed now.

"I-I, I don't believe you." the old man said once he had gained his composure, "I trust Sakura."

"But do you have any proof that what I say is a lie? You may not, but I actually have proof of Haruno-san's shameful actions." he turned to the audience, waving his arms ecstatically. "Apparently I am not the only one Haruno-san has approached. Last evening, one of my men happened to stumble across disgraceful scene. My man found Sakura Haruno, fornicating with another man." This was too much excitement for the crowd, some of the older ladies actually fainted. Cries and angry shouts erupted across the public square.

"Yes, I assure you good people that this is the complete truth. This leaves with only one option." people turned their faces to the orator, some with excitement and some with dread on their faces. "We must make an example of this girl, show other people that we do not want their plague of debauchery and unscrupulous women. We must remain pure!" Shouts aroused, agreeing with the fat man. "We must hunt down Sakura Haruno! We can not rest until her body hangs at the end of a rope!"

The crowd called back, agreeing tenfold with the man's statement. They surely did not want their nice, clean, respectable village to become overrun with the vermin of humankind, with pimps and prostitutes. They did not want their children to grow up in a slummy village, with no morals or ethics. Obviously the logical step to ward off such a future would be to nip it in the bud. They must execute this Sakura Haruno! For their village, for its future, for the children!

The village people left in one big swarm, off to hunt down the young woman who would dare bring the world's disease to their doorstep. Only a few individuals stood behind.

Yamazaruko walked over to join Rock Lee. "I don't believe it for a minute, not Sakura." she said, not quite sure who she was suppose to reassure.

"Yeah, but they don't believe that." he replied, referring to the villagers. "Come on, we got to do something." he said, and raced of after the mob heading for Sakura's house, followed by Yamazaruko.

Now just the fat business man stayed behind. He had elected to not follow the angry mob. After all, why not let them do his dirty work? He just stood behind, grinning smugly to himself.

"Payback." he smiled to himself, though no one was around to hear it.

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Sex scene!!! Avert your eyes, young ones!

My first intimate scene, not too bad. I didn't want to go into a whole lot of details… you know… for you virgins… (Of the mind!!! Get your head out of the gutter)

Phew this was a long one…

I'm sorry Rock Lee… I didn't want to hurt you!!! But it had to be done.

Anyway… Ino and fat man are stirring up trouble… oh noes…

**Translations**

**Koi-**love. Title of endearment

**Kimono**-Japanese robe

**-chan**- title used for girls and younger boys

**Hai**-yes

**-kun**- title used for boys mainly

**Sayonara**-Good Bye

**Wasabi**-Japanese horseradish-very hot! Green in appearance, often in the form of a green paste and used as relish on sushi

**Sakura**-cherry trees/blossoms

**Rice paper**- Japanese homes are often made of sliding panels of rice paper, which is not actually made of rice.

**Ukiyo-e**- during the edo period, artist often did woodcuts depicting everyday life, as well as famous Kabuki actors/actresses. Very distinguishable.

**Koto**-a type of flute. I think it has something to do with exorcisms (yes, I get the irony)

**Onsen**- hot tub

**Kanzashi**-set of pins and ribbons used to decorate hair

**Masuhiro Nagatsuka**- Masuhiro=first name, Nagatsuka=Last name

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

"_Good Morning Sakura-san!"_

"_How are you feeling today Sakura-san?"_

"_I have some dango that I think you would love Sakura-san, if you would just wait a moment."_

_For the next few weeks, everywhere Sakura stepped a thousand cheery salutations and small tributes greeted her. She never passed a morning with out receiving some trinket: a sweet, an exotic flower, or a simple smile._

_Apparently, Sasuke first assessment of the kingdom's demons was incorrect. Sakura always found herself in friendly company, surrounded by happy demons, ready to lend a hand. Most of it was out of curiosity. The demon kingdom had been devoid of any good gossip for a while, suffering an extremely long drought. Sakura was fresh meat, a new supply of ready-made gossip._

_Literally overnight, a black market sprung up inside the kingdom, centralized in the palace itself. Articles of clothing, blankets and sheets, even locks of hair, were sold at outrageous prices, claiming to have all belonged to the demon prince's bride-to-be. _

_Of course, it wasn't all warm fuzzies. Though it was certainly a small number, some demons looked upon her with disgust, as if she were a slimy thing to be scraped off a shoe. Chief among them was Ino, who had become extremely resentful of Sakura. Every time the two accidentally passed in the halls (and it was a rare occurrence as Sakura tried to avoid such confrontation) Ino would glare daggers at Sakura, and whisper snide remarks, only loud enough for the two to hear. Ino wasn't completely stupid. She knew better than to be caught acting menacing towards the demon queen-to-be. _

_Sakura just tried to hoist her head up high and ignore any negative vibes that were sent in her direction._

_Several factors made the unbearable manageable. For one, her and Hinata's friendship was strengthening. The two girls were often found in each other's company, never very far apart. Hinata quickly became Sakura's guide and confidant as she tried to assimilate to demon society, which was a hundred times easier said then done._

_Seeing as she wasn't a part of the Demon Court yet (that would change after her marriage to Sasuke) there was very little for her to do. Although many female demons actually held positions of power within the castle (unlike the Konoha she knew) she would not be considered among these high-ranking demonesses for a few more weeks. Once the date of Sasuke's birthday (and the date of their marriage) had passed, she would join in on the weekly meetings. Until then, she made do by learning as much as she could about demon culture._

_There were a thousand simple rules to be learned specific to demon manners, and even a hundred more for high-class demons and the Royal family, as well as a completely new language, __Akuma Range-ji_, the ancient language of the demons. Sakura learned how to curtsy differently depending on to whom she was bowing to (High ranking demons she had to clutch her dress with her left hand and extend her right hand, lower ranking she held her dress with her _right_ hand and extended her _left _hand.). She learned the different titles one used to politely address someone (-gata for highborn males and -joshi for highborn females, as well as other variants for different social rankings.) along with a multiple of other things.

Sakura was a very fast learner, and her constant practicing of her newly learned manners only sped up the process. There were one or few hiccups. She had once referred to her future mother-in-law as a fool-headed donkey, having messed up some of her demon vocabulary. Nevertheless, she was coming along very nicely.

The only other thing that kept her going, despite all of the hidden animosity towards her, was Sasuke. Granted, she didn't get to see a lot of him, as he had to attend many, many lessons on kingship, as well as his other princely duties, but he somehow made time to see her each and everyday, even if all they got was one hour together.

It was during on of these daily get-togethers, that Sasuke had shown Sakura the garden. By now, the cherry blossoms had floated away on the light April breeze, their appearance only having lasted a few weeks. Even so, the garden was magnificent. Everywhere Sakura looked, she saw some new color she could hardly begin to describe. Some how in the demon's garden the greens looked a bit more green, and the flowers colors seemed much brighter than any other garden Sakura had ever seen. She even began to wonder if whether or not it was enchanted.

Sasuke had even gone so far as to show Sakura his favorite spot in the garden, a nice secluded area next to the small bubbling creek that ribboned it's way through the serene surroundings. Sakura had felt extremely privileged that he had shown her his personal spot, cherishing the fact that she was probably the only other person beside Sasuke who knew about it.

The days 'til Sasuke's coronation slowly ticked away, and Sakura became more and more anxious. She could honestly say that she would feel much better after her marriage, when she would feel more as if she was a part of the demon society. All she had to do was wait.

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"I can't believe that…that…_human_ is stealing _my_ rightful place next to Sasuke!" Ino fumed aloud, though no one was around to hear it. She paced back in forth in the room she was staying in until the coronation ceremony, thinking very, very evil thoughts about a certain pink-haired women.

"I mean, she's so homely! She has absolutely nothing on me!" Ino said, while looking at herself in her floor-length mirror. After a few moments of quiet, she erupted with a frustrated "Feh!" and began to pace again.

"There must be something I can do! I have to stop that little…little…whore before she steals my Sasuke away from me!" Ino's mind churned away, gears working overtime as she tried to visualize some way to get rid of her pink-haired obstacle.

Slowly, a devious plan entered her head, a truly demonic one. She smirked as it slowly evolved inside her brain. It was sure to work, she just had to know what spell to use…

"I believe it's time for me to visit the library." Ino said to herself while leaving her room.

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"So, anything to report?" said a man in a much dimmed room, despite the fact that outside it was noon, talking to the only other occupant.

"I am sorry sir, the whole village has been looking, but so far we have not found the young woman."

The first man growled with annoyance…_where was that stupid girl?_

"Have you looked everywhere? Left no stone unturned and all of that?" the man inquired.

"The village has been thoroughly searched sir."

"What about the forest?"

The second man paused before speaking.

"Many of the villagers are…hesitant to look in the forest, believing it to be haunted by demons."

"Bah! Demons. There is no such thing. Just a bunch of village superstitions. Go and get a few villagers and go search the forest. I want that girl found." This last statement was emphasized with a pound on the desk by a fleshy fist.

"Yes sir…" the other man said, while slinking out of the office, hoping to avoid anymore of the man's wrath. He may have been a cold-blooded assassin, but the businessman could be quite ruthless when he wanted to be. People who had angered the man before had been known to completely disappear off the face of the earth.

The office was now completely empty save for the very large man sitting behind his desk. He clasped his hands together, his fingers forming a steeple, and staring over them.

"That girl is going to pay for her impudence; I'll make sure of that."

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"Hey." a quiet and familiar voice from behind Sakura sounded in her ear. She turned to see Sasuke in all of his princely clothing, a small smile adorned his face.

She quickly leapt from her seat and flung her arms around Sasuke's neck, embracing him enthusiastically. They had to stifle their laughter because of all of the dirty looks they were receiving from the other individuals in the library, but they didn't mind.

"Are you free?" whispered Sasuke, still holding on to Sakura, reluctant to release her from the hug.

Sakura looked back at the large tome she had been studying from moments before, and contemplated the question. Technically she should study a little bit more, just to be on the safe side. However, what she was reading was extremely boring, and the time she had to spend with Sasuke was so limited.

"_Maybe I should take advantage of this? After all, Sasuke's here early today, and that certainly doesn't happen a lot."_

"Yeah, I'm free." she told him, and was rewarded with an even wider smile, only making Sasuke's features appear even more handsome.

"Okay then, follow me." he said, while taking a firm grip of her hand. He looked around before placing a small, quick kiss on Sakura's lips. He whisked her away, eager to find somewhere where they could talk more freely.

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"Disgusting." Ino said having just witnessed the public display of affection Sasuke had given to the undeserving human. She turned back to the bookshelf she had been scanning, efforts doubled. She reached out, grabbing a very large and very dusty book. It was at the end of the row, and looked quite neglected.

The spine cracked as the she-demon opened the book, the smell of old parchment and leather reaching her nose, causing her to wrinkle it in disgust. She quite hated having to read, finding that she had more important things to do than to have her head stuck in some old dusty book all day.

Her finger trailed down the page containing the table of contents. There was each title of the spells listed in the book, with a quick description of each one. She came upon one that seemed like it would fit quite neatly with her plans. She flipped to the page explaining the enchantment, and the evil smirk on her face increased. The magic charm was incredibly simplistic and could be easily tailored to fit her means. She closed the book with a triumphant snap, sending up a cloud of dust. If she hadn't been to busy coughing she might have laughed right out loud. Sakura's days at the palace were numbered.

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"What's eating you Sasuke?" Sakura asked, perplexed at the rince's somber face.

Shaken from his quiet contemplation by the absurd question, Sasuke replied, "Nothing is _eating_ me-"

"No, it's just an expression." interrupted Sakura, explaining her words. "I mean what's wrong? You look upset. It's worrying me."

Sasuke looked down at the face of the woman he loved, green eyes looking at him imploringly. He melted at the look, and smiled reassuringly, albeit a very small if not feeble-looking smile.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I did not mean to worry you, it's just something stupid my father wants me to do. Some ancient edict I have to abide to before my coronation, nothing to be concerned about." he quickly lied.

"Oh, alright then." Sakura said, flashing a brilliant smile before turning back to what she was previously doing, which was looking at all of the beautiful flowers that were late in blooming.

Sasuke watched the young woman, while his mind was thinking on separate matters. Not even the peaceful surroundings of the demon garden could do anything to put his mind at ease, or even the infectious cheery attitude of the pink-haired human.

He mentally sighed, and thought back to what Naruto had told him earlier. Apparently, Naruto had caught Ino spying on Sakura. He had even seen the blonde demonness cackling to herself in her room, though at what Naruto had been unable to discern, and leave her room with a very wicked smile plastered on her face.

This could only mean one thing for Sasuke. _Trouble_. Obviously, Ino was planning something, scheming away in her devious little demented mind. He sighed again; this time out loud, brought a hand up to his face, and pinched his temples. He would have to take care of Ino, a task he did not look forward to executing.

Hearing the worrying sigh, Sakura turned her attention toward the young demon again, finding him cradling his head in one hand and rubbing at his temples.

"There you go again. I sure you're okay?"

Sasuke looked down at Sakura, and gave another feeble smile.

"Yeah, like I said, just something my father is making me see to. I might have to do something I'd rather not, but it'll be fine." he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to dissipate any worry she might have. He did not want to push any unnecessary stress unto her shoulders, feeling that Sakura had already too much on her plate.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears." she said.

"What?" Sasuke was again confused at Sakura's choice of words.

"It's another expression." she elaborated with a smile.

"Well, no, it's really nothing. Not anything that _both_ of us should lose sleep over."

"Are you sure?" inquired Sakura, feeling helpless that she couldn't be of some aide to the man.

"Quite." Sasuke smiled down, and wrapped an arm around the women's shoulder, pulling her closer. They began their walking again. "You know," Sasuke said, breaking the silence, "You humans have some odd sayings."

The two laughed, happy to be in each other's company.

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The cloak of night was spread out over the quiet woods and palace. No one seemed to be awake, save for a few guards, who also wished to be asleep. They valiantly tried to keep their drooping lids up, the task slowly becoming more difficult.

Unknown to everybody, one lone person was up, sneaking around the palace, closing in on the lone human's private chambers. A blonde demonness came upon the closed door, glad to find it unguarded.

Using all of her stealth, Ino crept into the room. She took a few moments to look around the place, having never seen the inside of this particular room. The castle was full of thousands of rooms, many of which Ino had never seen. However, that didn't matter right _now_. The palace would soon all be hers. She smiled to herself.

She walked over to the sleeping figure in the bed, carpet muffling her steps. She bent close to the woman, staring at the peaceful face. She stared for several moments, and made a motion towards the form, when the girl suddenly turned over, making the blonde jump back. Ino realized that she had not actually woken up, simply turning in her sleep. She let out a breath of relief.

Figuring that she should complete what she had come to do, Ino began her enchantment.

Her hands arranged in several positions in fast succession. She then quietly whispered:

_Blackness eternal_

_Falling as a shooting star_

_Sleep comes upon thee._

Hardly daring to breathe, Ino wondered if the spell had worked. She reached out with a tentative hand, and touched the shoulder of the lying body. When the other female did not stir, Ino gave a harder shove, but was simply met with a soft snore.

She grinned, and put the finishing touches to her plan. After an elaborate hand gesture, a set of invisible strings wound around Ino's outstretched hands, and then looped around the sleeping body of Sakura. Ino gave a snap of her wrists, and Sakura sat up in her bed, still asleep.

With a few more pulls of her wrists, Ino was able to navigate Sakura out of her bed and had her stand up. Sakura stood in nothing but her pajamas, completely oblivious to what was occurring around her.

Ino concentrated, now for the tough part. Some more hand positions and the blonde extended a single finger. She touched the sleeping girl lightly on forehead. In appearance, the image of Sakura seemed to dissolve away, leaving the space she had been in completely unoccupied. In reality, Sakura had been placed under a simplistic invisibility spell. If any one looked close enough, they might make out a blurry outline in the shape exactly like the cherry blossom haired human. It wasn't foolproof, but it would do in a pinch, and Ino was willing to take the risk.

She continued to maneuver the other girl slowly out of the room and finally into the open hallway. Dragging the sleepwalking young woman behind her, Ino walked down the many corridors of the demon citadel, checking thoroughly at each corner to make sure there were no guards around. She did not fancy meeting one of them right now. Even if they could not see the invisible Sakura, it would still appear odd for her to be up this late.

Quickly stealing herself into the abandoned kitchen, she was only slightly hindered when Sakura ran straight into the door, the sleeping girl being unaware that it was even there. Ino walked briskly over to the small door that led to the cupboard that held the chef's aprons as well the door that led to the small vegetable and herb garden.

Once in the brisk night air, Ino noted that sunrise was not far off, and that it would be wise for her to speed up her actions.

Heaving the still sleeping body through the thick undergrowth of the woods, Ino huffed and puffed toward the edge of the forest. Reaching her destination, she stopped, allowing the unconscious human to collapse behind her on to the springy grass of the forest floor.

She decided to allow herself some time to sleep, knowing full well that she would wake up way before the sleeping spell wore off.

Closing her eyes, Ino drifted away.

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Uh oh… this isn't good…

This chapter took me forever to complete. I don't know why. Probably because half of it didn't really progress the story. Although I love exposition, I find it kinda hard to write… weird…

And yes, I purposely made the sleeping spell a haiku. In fact, all of the demon spells are haikus.

**Translations**

**Dango**-small doughy balls, fried or boiled, stuck on a skewer.

**Akuma Range-ji**- something I made up. Akuma is Japanese for demon and Range-ji is language. Demon Language

**-gata**- modified from a word that means man

**-joshi**-Japanese for woman

**Ino's spell being a haiku**- a haiku is a common form of Japanese poetry. Usually found with a five-seven-five syllable pattern, haikus usually talk about nature.

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Sakura woke with a start when something wet plopped down on to her face. Sleeping spell broken, she opened her eyes to a bright green world, completely unlike her room in the palace.

Glancing around she finally came to the conclusion that she was outside, though how she got there was unknown to her. She was lying down on a soft patch of grass, absolutely covered with dew. Her pajamas were ragged and dirty, as though she had walked into every tree and bush in the forest. Bits of foliage clung to her apparel, adding to her decrepit image.

It was at this point that Sakura realized she was not alone. Standing only a short distance away, leaning against a tree stood a tall, blonde demonness. Her arms were folded and an evil smirk could clearly be seen.

"Ino." Sakura gasped. She recognized the woman as the one who had been tormenting her for the past few weeks. She was obviously behind Sakura's sudden relocation. "What's going on?" Sakura asked, quickly getting to the heart of the matter.

"Quite simply, justice." Ino replied with a sneer. She got up from her place next to the tree and walked closer to Sakura.

"I don't understand-"

"No, of course not. You're a simple human. Humans can never be expected to understand demons." Ino glared down at Sakura, scorn and hate evident in her eyes. Sakura just stared back, unsure how to answer Ino.

"Listen you pathetic little girl, Sasuke is mine. He does not belong to anyone else, especially someone as unworthy and undeserving as yourself. How dare you come in and steal what rightfully belongs to me?"

"What-" Sakura began, completely taken aback. She had known that Ino was resentful of her being chosen as Sasuke's bride over the blonde, but she had not realized the demonness held this much animosity.

"Besides, you could never handle being a demon king's queen, you don't have what it takes. The demon race is dying, and now more than ever we need a strong king. That's Sasuke. There's no way he could ever live up to his potential with you hanging around, being the pathetic, weak liability that you are. You would only endanger Sasuke."

Sakura was stunned into silence. She had absolutely no reply to this. All of Ino's angry accusations swirled around in her empty head. One thought rang out above the rest.

"But…but Sasuke doesn't love you…"

A flicker of hurt quickly replaced with rage flashed across Ino's face. "A demon king doesn't need such weak emotions as 'love'." Ino said the word with much contempt. "It would only weigh him down. Besides, I can love myself enough for the both of us."

Sakura continued to sit in the soggy grass, words unable to come forth. She felt so completely helpless.

"Besides, if you truly 'love' Sasuke, then you would realize how much more of a benefit you would be to him by being as far away from his as possible. You would only bring him to ruin. You have absolutely no powers, no understanding of combat… what would happen if the castle were to be attacked by some enemy? Sasuke, being the noble demon that he is, would spend all of his energy on protecting you, possibly getting himself killed in the process. Then the demon kingdom would be left without a king. We would be nothing more than a headless corpse, doomed to oblivion." Ino concluded.

Everything she said, as much as Sakura did not want to admit, was completely true. Sakura was not a fighter, lacking the training and resolve. If the demon kingdom of Konoha were to come under siege or something, she would be a liability to all around her. This thought utterly depressed her.

"I think I should let you in on a little secret." Ino whispered, leaning forward slightly. "I know you must be thinking this was all my doing. But in all honesty, I was put up to this. Someone asked me to do this."

"Who?" questioned Sakura, voice coming out as a high-pitched squeak.

"Sasuke."

The expression on Sakura's face was absolutely priceless, bringing Ino to fits of giggles. With great effort she stifled her instinct to laugh out loud, though it was very tempting.

"Why…why would Sasuke…"

"He had to get rid of you some way. He realized how weak you are, and how unbeneficial to his people it would be if he married you. However, Sasuke is an extremely busy demon, and because of his kindness he was reluctant to do away with you. He kept putting it off. For some reason he didn't want to hurt your feelings. So he asked me to do it, and I agreed."

Sakura's reaction to Ino's lie was similar to all of her earlier reactions. No tears, no cries of disagreement, just complete and utter silence, numbed silence.

Ino watched Sakura with much glee. She hadn't realized how much joy she would get out of her revenge, but it was quite a pleasant surprise.

Sakura's mind continued to pinwheel around what Ino had said, not believing any of it. Why? Why would Sasuke put her through all of that, asking for her hand, bringing her to his home, and then dump her out like garbage? In legends it was said that demons were evil, conniving creatures, but Sasuke had never been like that, never once in the time she had known him.

A bubble of thought exploded in her mind, a memory floating up to the surface of her fogged head. Yesterday, Sasuke had been distracted while they were walking through the garden. When questioned, he had said that he was having to do something unpleasant… Could this have been that unpleasant task?

The tears finally came to Sakura's eyes as her troubled mind accepted this memory as proof of the honesty of Ino's words. A wave of absolute depression crashed over her, drowning her in it's blackness. She felt so used. Hate struck her with white-hot fury, hate at what Sasuke had done to her.

Ino's voice adopted a sympathetic tone. "Don't you see Sakura? Everything would be a whole lot better if you just went back to where you came from, and let everything go back to how it was before Sasuke met you."

Sakura finally stood and nodded. Her hands curled up into fists as she lowered her head, angrily glaring down at the forest floor. "I see."

"I'm really sorry, but you shouldn't try and tamper with the natural order of things. Humans belong with other humans, and demons belong with other demons. Nothing you can do about it."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for opening my eyes Ino." replied Sakura in a flat tone. She began to walk out of the forest, still in her muddied sleeping clothes. She left Ino behind in the group of shadowed trees.

When Ino was sure Sakura was out of earshot, she let out one big laugh. How easy and entertaining that had been! And the look on that silly human girl face when she had told her that Sasuke had been the mastermind behind the entire scheme. Priceless!

Composing herself, she turned around and walked back to the castle. She would need to get her story straight if she were to convince everyone that Sakura was gone forever. Something involving an accident would be most convincing. She would have to adopt a grieving air of course. But until then Ino could not wipe off the smile on her face. Sasuke was finally hers!

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Sasuke's eyes snapped open suddenly, as though something were amiss. But no, that couldn't be right, everything was as it should be. More importantly, today was the day of his wedding to Sakura. A smile lit up his face at that prospect. Sakura would finally be all his.

He sat up and looked around his private chambers. Last night would be the last time he'd have to sleep in it. Tonight, he and Sakura would move into the King and Queen's chambers.

He allowed his mind a few more sentimental thoughts before getting off the bed and clothing himself. He moved quickly. He wanted to see Sakura before all the preparations for today got started and he would become to busy.

Briskly walking down the hallway leading to Sakura's room, Sasuke whistled a tuneless song. He had never felt as happy as he did today. He got a few strange looks from the servants walking around, none of them having ever witnessed the sour prince in such a fine mood. He ignored them all as he came upon Sakura's room.

He knocked gently on the door and, having been met with no protest, opened it.

"Saku-" he paused when he realized the pink haired woman was not in the small room. He peered around again to be absolutely sure, but found no one.

Closing the door softly, He wondered where his human could have wondered off to.

"_Perhaps she went to get some breakfast."_

But a quick journey to the main dining hall disproved this theory. He quickly searched the entire castle in all of Sakura's favorite spots. The Library, the garden, the private onsen, she was no where to be seen.

Sasuke was about to take another tour around the palace when Naruto came running up to him, panting hard. He paused, catching his breath before gasping out his message.

"Sasuke…I-its Ino. _*huff*_ She says… she has…_*gasp*_ something to…tell you. It's about Sakura!"

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By the time the pair made it to the Main Throne room, there was a small crowd gathering around a sobbing Ino. Sasuke's mother was offering a comforting shoulder to cry on as Ino spoke.

"Oh, it was horrible…simply terrible. And there was nothing I could do!"

"What happened?" Sasuke interrupted Ino's babbling.

"Oh Sasuke, it's awful." cried Ino as she gazed upon the prince with tear-filled eyes.

"What?" he questioned again, growing tired of Ino's digressions.

"Well, it was last night. I was asleep when I heard a small bump, as though someone was knocking on my door. It was very faint, but I'm an incredibly light sleeper. I went to investigate and I saw…saw Sakura walking down the hallway. She must have bumped into my door."

Sasuke nodded his head, urging Ino to continue.

"Well, I called out to here, but she didn't seem to notice me. I ran up to her and noticed that her eyes were closed. I realized then that she must have been sleepwalking. I tried all I could to wake her, but nothing seemed to work. I decided to follow her, to make sure she didn't get hurt."

Sasuke snorted softly, but otherwise said nothing.

Ino continued. "Soon, she was walking outside. I followed her as she walked on and on. I discovered that we were moving towards the center of the forest. Suddenly I heard a loud, roaring sound, very close to us. We came upon the river that flows through the center. We were actually at the point where the river becomes a waterfall and…and drops a hundred feet."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He did not like where this story was going.

"I tried…I tried so hard to wake her up, but…but it was no use. She wouldn't open her eyes. The last I saw her, she was…she was walking over the edge of the waterfall…and…and…" Ino collapsed, new tears streaming down his face.

The demon prince looked down in utter disbelief. Surely Ino could not be trusted. Sakura couldn't really be…

"I don't believe it." Sasuke said, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"Sasuke!" chastised his mother, shocked at his rude remark.

"It's the truth, I swear!" Ino cried out, face looking sincere.

"Sasuke, why would Ino lie about something like this?" Sasuke's father asked.

The young demon had no answer for this. He had no proof of Ino's hostility and resentful towards Sakura. He merely bowed his head. All he had to go by was a gut feeling, but his father would not accept that as an answer.

"I don't know, but I refuse to believe that Sakura is dead."

"Alright son, since you seem so hung up on this, I'll make you a deal." Fugaku said. "If you can find Sakura in time, then we'll proceed with the wedding plans. But, keep in mind that you are to be crowned _and_ married when the sun is set, according to ancient law. You have until then to find her. If not, _I_ will choose your bride, seeing as you yourself do not have alternative. Do you understand?"

Sasuke nodded. He understood perfectly. If he did not find Sakura before the sunset then his father would choose Ino to be his bride, and he would be stuck with her for the rest of his life.

"Hai, father. If you'll excuse me." he quickly bowed his head before turning to Naruto, and motioned him over.

They left the room in a hushed conversation.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked his best friend.

"Ino is definitely lying. I don't know what she did, but she did it." answered the blonde.

"I agree." said Sasuke. The two walked down hallways briskly as Sasuke issued some commands. "We're going have to do an entire sweep of the forest. Get as many volunteers as you can. I'm sure Hinata would like to help, and she'd be beneficial with that byakugan of hers. Speed is crucial. We only have a short period of time before I'll be forced to marry Ino." Sasuke involuntarily shuddered. He pivoted to face the fox demon, clapping his hands down on Naruto's shoulders and looking straight into his face. "I'm counting on you, can you handle it?"

"Of course." the other demon nodded. "But what are you going to do Sasuke?" he questioned.

"I have to see a man about a spell."

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Sakura was still in a furious mood as she crossed the flower covered hill. She continued to mumble about "untrustworthy demons" and "handsome villains." Even the bright colorful flowers could not stem the flow of anger, rather they augmented it. Their dull colors compared to that of the enchanted demon garden only served to remind her what she had lost. This brought sadness to her, followed by another wave of anger.

She soon reached the outskirts of the village, where her miserable little hut waited for her. Never again would she sleep on wonderful feather-beds, or wake up in a palace. She was now fated to spend the rest of her life in a run-down shack.

Even with her mind wrapped up in far off places, the instant Sakura stepped into her small place of residence she registered that something was wrong. Taking a closer look she saw that her usually neat and tidy home was torn apart. Furniture was upended, sliding doors torn from there frame. Drawers were open, and never closed, and the few clothes she had possessed had been ripped to shreds. She began to wander who could or would have destroyed her home.

"Oh my God, Sakura, you're here!" a voice sounded out behind the young woman. She turned only to be caught up in an embrace with Yamazaruko.

"Yamazaruko-chan, what happened here? Who did this?" Sakura asked, slowly getting over her shock.

Yamazaruko leaned back to look at Sakura's face. "The villagers. Oh it was awful. After you disappeared that horrible man, Masuhiro Nagatsuka, he held a town meeting. He said such terrible things about you. He said that you had gone to _him_ with a proposal of prostitution. The old man from the onsen tried to defend you, but it was no use. Nagatsuka was able to persuade everyone in the village that _he_ was correct. He got everyone searching for you, and if they find you…you'll be hanged!"

"What?" cried out Sakura, taken aback by the new turn in events.

"Rock Lee and I have been searching for you for days, to try and warn you about Nagatsuka. I've been coming here everyday in case you had come back, and to make sure the place doesn't get any more ransacked." almost as an afterthought the brunet added, "Though there's not a whole lot that hasn't been already."

"What am I going to do?" said Sakura, bringing a hand to rub her temples. She slumped against the wall closest to her. Fear was in her eyes.

"You have to run away Sakura! I have a few coins I could give you, along with food enough for a few days. That should last you long enough to travel through the forest and over into the next town."

"_The forest? I can't go in there. What if one of the demons find me?"_

"You wait right here Sakura. Just let me get Rock Lee and some supplies. The quicker we get you out of here the better!" Yamazaruko spun around and ran out through the open door.

"Wait, Yamazaruko!" called out Sakura, walking over to the doorway, but the other girl was too far away to have heard her.

Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes, trying to force back the tears. She dearly wanted to break down and cry at the total frustration of her situation, but tears never solved anything. They certainly weren't going help her here.

"Well, well, you finally decided to return." a voice broke Sakura's meditation.

Even as she was opening her eyes, a hand reached out behind her head, bringing skilled fingers to pinch the nerve at the back of her neck. Unconsciousness was instant as Sakura slumped down to be caught quickly by the strange new man. He picked her up and started to carry her away. It was time for the girl to meet his boss.

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Ino continued to giggle at her own cleverness as she soaked in a lavender-laced bath.

After her incredibly tiring night and morning, she had decided that relaxation was in order. After all, who needed yucky bags under the eyes on their wedding day?

"I can't believe they fell for it." Ino admitted aloud for the umpteenth time. "I truly am a genius actress… or just a plain genius."

She continued to compliment herself in this manner for a few more minutes. She was completely caught up in her self-declared genius.

"And the best part is, they'll never find her! I've made sure of that. Sasuke's sure of to sent out a search party, but they won't be able to locate her. Oh how truly clever I am, telling them that she had killed herself in the middle of the forest. They'll be to busy searching there and never once pay any heed to the human village. By the time they realize their mistake, I'll be married to Sasuke and there is nothing they can do." she laughed again, finding such amusement from her devious plot.

Settling into her scented bath, Ino sighed in happiness. "Soon I will be queen. Queen Ino of the Demon Kingdom of Konoha…mmm, how delicious."

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Sasuke descended a very steep flight of stairs, grasping support from the wall with one hand and holding aloft a torch to dissuade the darkness away with the other. He did not often venture to this part of the palace, but these were desperate times, and he needed all the help he could get if he wished to find Sakura. He was sure Ino had used some spell to help her, and there was no one who knew more about spells than Jiraiya-sensei.

Jiraiya-sensei, a toad-demon with uncommonly good looks (no nasty warts like other toad-demons) was an eccentric old man who had more quirks than there were leaves on a tree. But his magical knowledge was incredible, and unsurpassable in the entire kingdom, including Sasuke's father. He acted as the teacher of all things magical for the palace children. Jiraiya was also an extremely wise being. People heeded the old demon when he gave advice or counsel. He rarely led anyone wrong with his guidance.

However, there was no getting over some of the demon's odder behaviors. He enjoyed isolation most of the time and chose to hole himself up in his studies, where he conducted research. Though he had no clear idea as to what the older demon's research entailed, Sasuke had figured out that half of the time it did not necessarily pertain to magic studies at all. His old sensei was an incurable flirt, and could either be found with his nose stuck in a book, or up a girl's skirt.

Despite his unusual traits, Jiraiya-sensei was still one of the few adult demons Sasuke trusted with something as important as finding Sakura, and he desperately needed his help.

Having climbed down from the last step, the young prince walked up to a stout, oak door, and knocked thrice. The sound of his knuckles made a dull _thump thump thump_ on the thick wood. He stepped back, waiting for entrance. It was not long before the door opened to a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in a simple nightgown with a mess of white hair. His eyes stared dully at Sasuke as he made no effort to hide a monumental yawn.

"Well, if it isn't the crown prince. And to what do I owe the honor?"

"I hope I haven't woken you, but I need your help." Sasuke replied.

"Of course, no one just visits me to be social, except Naruto. He understands a thing or two about respect to his elders, mark me." Jiraiya rambled, wagging a finger in Sasuke's direction.

For some reason (though in a lot of ways it made sense) Jiraiya and Naruto had formed a very close relationship. Naruto was the only one of Jiraiya's students that still visited the old teacher socially from time to time. Most of the students (Sasuke included) steered clear of their eccentric sensei after graduation, unless they needed advice, as Sasuke did right now.

"Well, I suppose I can't shoo you away, what with you being my future king and whatnot, can I?" Jiraiya-sensei said in a bored voice.

Sasuke just gave the older demon a small smile. "Please Jiraiya-sensei, I could really use your help."

The old school teacher paused a moment, leaning against the frame of his door. He studied Sasuke a few moments before shrugging and walking back into his room. Taking this as an invitation, Sasuke followed him, placing his torch in a bracket upon the wall before entering.

Inside Jiraiya-sensei's quarters the young prince had to stop. Everywhere there were piles and piles of dusty old volumes, stacks of mixing bowls, clear glass bottles, and diagrams containing unknown symbols scrawled all over the walls. Over by a large table stood great big shelves with a whole muddle of different herbs, leaves, and roots used for various potions.

"I believe you have more books than the library." commented Sasuke, but he only got a grunt as a reply.

Jiraiya disappeared behind one stack of books, going into another room and closing the door behind him. A few moments later he returned, fully dressed in his usual odd clothes.

"By the way, you did wake me up earlier, but don't worry about it. I'm sure whatever you have for me is more important than something so trivial as my sleep."

Ignoring Jiraiya's sarcasm, Sasuke spoke up. "Jiraiya-sensei, I'm sure you've heard of my choice for a bride."

"Sakura, right?" asked the white-haired male casually, cleaning nonexistent dirt from his fingernails. "She's very beautiful. I'm actually surprised she said yes to you, I'm sure she could have done much better than you."

Allowing the banter to wash off him like water on a duck's back, the demon prince continued. "Yes, well, I'm afraid this morning when I woke up I was informed that she had been sleepwalking the night before and…fell over the waterfall."

"So?" asked Jiraiya.

"Well," Sasuke said, tone growing icier, "This news was delivered to me by Ino, on the very day of my marriage to Sakura."

"Oh." Ino's crush on Sasuke was infamous, and it was quite easy for Jiraiya to see Ino's motive.

"And so, I need your help. I need a locating spell. There's still a chance. If I can find Sakura before sunset, I won't have to marry Ino."

"What makes you think she's still alive? Even if Ino's story about the waterfall isn't true, what's stopping her from still killing the girl. It would bring her closer to her goal." stated Jiraiya.

Sasuke just shook his head. "No, I don't think Ino killed her. Call it a gut instinct, but I still think Sakura's alive. And even if she was," Sasuke paused, gathering courage to continue, "murdered… I'd still rather know for myself than to go on the word of Ino. I'll never truly know unless I try."

The older demon studied Sasuke for a long moment. His eyes narrowed and brows furrowed in deep thought. Sasuke stood as straight as possible, pointing his chin proudly in Jiraiya's direction, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. They implored Jiraiya from across the room, pleading for assistance.

Finally, Jiraiya nodded his head and turned away, walking toward one of the gigantic pile of books. Sasuke sighed with relief, though he tried to hide it from the other demon. He wasn't quite sure what he would do if Jiraiya had refuse to help.

"I must say, though this new change of yours is a little unnerving, I certainly like it." Jiraiya said while rummaging through the books and pulling some out at random, causing great clouds of dust to rise. He coughed, continuing, "I don't think I've ever seen you so worried about someone other than yourself like this. You're being so selfless." Finding the book he was looking for, Jiraiya walked over to the demon prince. "Then again, for a girl _that_ pretty, perhaps it's not totally selfless, eh?" he winked knowingly at Sasuke, making the younger demon blush hotly. Jiraiya-sensei always knew how to rattle him in the end.

"The spell you need is in this book." he said, tone business-like as he extended his hand and gave Sasuke a large leather-bound volume. "It's the best one I can give you that won't take days to set up, but it has some limitations. It works by using a pair of ethereal eyes, directly connected to any receiving reservoir you wish to use. Generally a small bowl of water works the best. However, you have to direct the eyes, they can't just zero in on your human."

Sasuke nodded along, rifling through the pages of the spell book. It was written in ancient characters, but someone had fortunately had translated passage of it into a more understandable language.

"I thank you Jiraiya-sensei."

"Yeah yeah, thank me by trying to make it down here more often. I'm not completely anti-social like _some_ people I could mention." he said, eyes glaring at Sasuke, a small smile playing on his lips. "Tell Naruto I said 'Hi'." the old teacher said, already turning toward another stack of books, plucking one from the top and examining it.

Sasuke left hurriedly, his stride purposeful. Who knew what kind of trouble Sakura could be in?

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Sakura awoke for the second time that day in a different place than where she was when she had become unconscious. Instead of the edge of the forest however, this time she woke up in a dim room. A large desk sat before her, behind which was an even larger man that brought shivers to Sakura's spine.

"Good, you're awake." the evil man hissed.

"What, what do you-"

"Save your breath. Allow me to explain. You see Haruno-san, I'm afraid you've been found to have committed some crimes." the man began.

"What! I-" Sakura was interrupted with a sound smack across her face from the businessman. He returned to his chair.

"Please do not interrupt, I really do not enjoy hitting women." his voice said, but his dark, gleeful eyes told the truth. "Now, to business. You see, your first crime was defying me. You should have never made that mistake. No one ever says no to Masuhiro Nagatsuka, and those who do, do not live very long to regret it. I would have never become the successful man I am now if I didn't get rid of my opposition. Your second crime was of course trying to prostitute yourself to me. You should know that such activities are illegal in our peaceful village."

Indignation caused Sakura to speak up again. "You came to _me_! You're the one that propo-"

The man leaned over his desk again and slapped Sakura across the face for a second time. Burning tears rolled down her stinging cheeks.

"If you are quite done… Good. Now, Sakura, I am afraid that these crimes warrant a hanging. However, it really saddens my heart to have to see a noose wrapped around that pretty little neck of yours, so I suppose I can cut you a deal."

Sakura looked up, astonishment playing across her face, though a layer of suspicion lay beneath it.

"It's the same proposal as the one I made to you in the onsen. If you agree to it, I could save you from the hanging." he leaned in, face inches from Sakura's. She felt his hot sour breath as he continued. "Do we have a deal?"

Sakura glared defiantly back at the man, and spat in his face. "I'd rather die than do what your suggesting."

Wiping away the saliva, the man shouted back, "Fine then, if that's what you want, it's what you'll get." He motioned to a man that had been occupying one of the darkened corners of the room. "Take this wench to a cell to hold her until her execution." Turning back to Sakura, he told her. "Your wish will be fulfilled tonight at sunset. Remember, this is your decision, and you chose wrong."

A vice-like grip clamped Sakura's shoulder painfully, and she was forced to her feet. Never lessening his grip, the businessman's minion escorted her out of the room. Though she tried to hide them, the tears continued to fall as she thought about her fate.

"_Sasuke…please…please help me."_

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Well… here's chapter six…

I hope you get what Ino was explaining to Sakura. It makes sense to me, but that's because I came up with it and I understand what my deranged mind thinks.

I made Ino very villain-cliché in t his chapter… oh well.

Also, here comes Jiraiya-sensei in his cameo appearance. I debated on whether I should use him or Kakashi-sensei, but I went for Jiraiya because he fit the 'wise old elder at the top of the mountain' theme… yeah…

I apologize; the scene with the fat business man was rather quick and abrupt. I'm sorry if you didn't quite get it…

**Translations**

**Hai**-yes

**Handsome villains**- quoting Shakespeare. The quote was directed at Romeo by Juliet, because Romeo just killed her cousin Tybalt

**slid the door back**- Japanese homes are traditionally made of sliding panels

**-chan**- title used for girls and younger boys

**Onsen- **hot spring/tub

**Sensei**-teacher

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Location unknown_

_I seek to find that which hides_

_Elusive no more._

Having finished the incantation, Sasuke gripped the edge of the bowl set out before him. He concentrated on the smooth surface of the water in the vessel. Slowly, an image of the forest from a bird's eye view appeared. It showed the piece of forest near the waterfall, where Ino claimed Sakura to have died.

He could see Naruto, with a small group of volunteers, issuing orders, though Sasuke couldn't hear what he said. The group dispersed, traveling in all directions, starting their search. Sasuke decided to take a page from their book and began his own search.

"Alright then, let's get started."

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"No, no that won't do!" shouted Ino at one of the poor tailors. The helpless servant was seconds away from bursting into tears, or punching Ino in the jaw.

Despite the short time in which the seamstresses had to prepare a dress for her, Ino still expected her wedding dress to be absolutely perfect, and anything less was unacceptable.

"Listen you pin-cushion-for-brains! This dress has to be flawless. Do you understand? It's hideous. You have the neckline too short, and the train's not long enough. And why is there so much extra material around the waist?" she questioned angrily, shooting daggers at the assembled seamstresses, daring them to answer.

"We'll fix it right away Yamanaka-joshi." one of the bolder ones said, using the highest-ranking title possible, hoping to soothe the savage beast.

"You had better." she replied huffily.

The seamstresses moved in to 'fix' the blonde's dress but were quickly interrupted.

"Ow! Watch where you poke that pin, you incompetent idiots."

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"Come on, we have to hurry! Someone might have spotted her and turned her in by now!"

"You don't have to tell me twice." said Rock Lee, picking up his speed.

Yamazaruko and Rock Lee sped through the streets of mid-afternoon Konoha, twisting and turning down many side streets and alleys, trying to cut their travel time down. Speed was crucial. If they weren't fast enough, Sakura could be discovered, and then they would be too late.

At last they reached Sakura's disheveled house. Pausing to catch their breath, they walked toward the small residence, a vain attempt to appear casual. Yamazaruko reached into her purse she was carrying, checking to see if any of her supplies intended for her friend had fallen out due to severe jostling.

"Sakura." whispered Lee when they got to the door. There was no reply. They exchanged a worried glance before the pair entered the small abode.

It looked exactly the same as it did when Yamazaruko had left, messy and disheveled, except for one thing. Sakura wasn't anywhere to be found. They checked everywhere quickly, every nook and cranny, but their pink-haired friend could not be found.

"No." Yamazaruko cried out softly, while Rock Lee did his best not to swear in a lady's presence.

"Someone must have found her." he said, saying what both were thinking, and dreading.

"There must be something we can do still." pleaded Yamazaruko. "The old man, the onsen owner! Surely he can help us!"

"He's already tried!" argued Rock Lee, his voice getting uncharacteristically loud.

"We still have to try! What if there is a possibility to save Sakura! We'll never know if we don't attempt. Come on!" she told him, before speeding out of the house in the direction of the onsen.

Rock Lee followed her, still doubtful that going to the old man would help at all. But he was willing to try anything to help Sakura.

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Sakura sat in a corner of the small dingy room she was occupying until sunset. It was only about seven strides from one end to the next. She knew this because of the few hours she had wiled away by pacing. The only light source came from a small window at her right. It was slightly larger than herself, but was blocked by several iron bars.

Wiping her face on the sleeve of some clothes she had been given to change into, and out of her night dress, Sakura tried to valiantly stop her tears. She had already spent much of the day crying piteously at her situation, and such action was in no way benefiting her. She desperately needed to come up with a plan.

Standing up, she walked over to the small window. Wrapping her hands around a pair of bars, she tugged hard. Her labors did nothing, as the bars stayed where they were stubbornly.

Her eyes gazed beyond the window and for the first time, realized what time it was. Outside, the sky was slowly growing redder as the sun began it's slow descent. Anytime now she would be summoned and-

"Hey." said the voice belonging to the man who had escorted her to the little room earlier. "I've been sent by Nagatsuka to get you. It's almost time for your trial and sentencing to begin."

She froze as the man stepped closer to her. Before he reached her, she ducked suddenly and tried to weave around him. She did not even reach the door before the man grabbed her painfully by the wrist and jerked her back.

"I suggest that you don't do that again." he told her in a venomous voice. She weakly nodded, giving no other response.

He led her away, half carrying, half dragging her.

"_Please, someone…help me!" _Sakura thought, hoping that her prayers would not go unheard.

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Sasuke gave an aggravated cry as he looked down toward the bowl for the umpteenth time that day. The location spell was getting him nowhere.

Sasuke and Naruto's group had spent almost the entirety of the day searching the forest for any signs of Sakura, but could find none. Now it was only about an hour till sunset, and Sasuke had nothing to speak for his efforts. If the search continued in this manner for any longer, he'd have to marry Ino.

"Shikoshou." he swore under his breath, resorting to the old demon tongue. "Why can't we find anything? We should have found _something_ by now! Even if Ino…killed Sakura, there should still be some evidence left. It's nearly impossible to cover every single track in a forest. She could have disposed of the body…but we still would have found proof!" Sasuke rambled, thinking aloud.

"Come on Sasuke!" the prince muttered, addressing himself with an exasperated voice. "This is _Ino _we're talking about, not some tactical genius. So how is it that we have so been outsmarted by her?"

He paused, thinking deeply for several moments. His mind began to wander, tired of the useless exercise that had thus far gotten him nowhere. He briefly recalled an incident many years ago when he was still extremely young, not even in school yet.

He had been playing with his toys in his nursery when he realized he was missing his favorite one, a small stuffed cat. When he asked his nurse about it, she told him it must be in the nursery room, where all his toys were held. He then had spent the entire afternoon tearing apart the room, putting it back together and then tearing it apart again in search of his beloved toy. By the time he had to go to bed, he still had not found it, and began to cry miserably at the prospect of having to sleep with out his stuffed companion. However, once he entered his bedroom, he discovered his toy, sitting patiently on his bed. He had instantly stopped crying as he hugged his stuffed cat tightly, so relieved that he would not have to face the dark alone.

Blinking, Sasuke wondered why that memory had come to him at such a time. He tried to focus back on his spell, but images of his four-year old self, searching for a small stuffed cat kept invading his thoughts. Was his subconscious trying to tell him something?

Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, it hit him. You'll never find something if you keep looking for it in the wrong places. So far, no one had found any evidence that Sakura had even _been _in the forest. All they were going by was Ino's word, and how trustworthy could that be? After all, he was already assuming she had lied about whether Sakura was alive or not, why not also lie about her location? That meant that Sakura was _not_ in the forest…

Clapping his hands together at finally figuring out the puzzle, Sasuke returned to his spell. Instead of searching the forest, he needed to search somewhere else, somewhere with in a days travel from the palace.

Starting at the first place that popped into his mind, Sasuke focused his enchantment toward the direction of the human village. He first tried the small, flower-covered hill, where he had first encountered Sakura, but found it unoccupied. Then he searched Sakura's house. There he found her home in a complete mess, the place having obviously been ransacked while Sakura was away. He still did not see his pink-haired human, and was beginning to wonder if she was not in the village, or that perhaps Ino _had_ killed her when something caught his eye.

Several people were running down the streets, all heading in one direction. They shouted at their companions, but what they were saying Sasuke could still not understand. All he was able to perceive was that something exciting was about to happen in the center of the village.

Going on a hunch, Sasuke followed the eager villagers with his eyes until he reached the village square, where a small platform had been erected. Upon the impromptu stage stood a gallows, with a hangman's noose already tied and ready for use. There were three figures on the stage. On was a tall lean man with a judicial look to his face. Another was a fat, large man, who was shouting out at the crowd. The third stood a distance away from the first two, with hands tied together. Sasuke leaned forward, nose almost touching the surface of the water to get a closer look. The third figure looked familiar…

"Shit!"

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Eh… sorry that he cussed, but you guys really don't care, right?

I love when Sasuke talks about his younger self because I think he is incredibly cute when he's young (Especially in the anime when he mutters something despairingly at Itachi… so adorable!)

His stuffed cat is called Chu (I just have decided this on the spot). He got him when he was a two years old when he got him, and didn't quite realize the irony of naming a cat after the sound a mouse makes. (He thought he was naming the cat after the sound a cat makes…)

**Translations**

**Location spell is a haiku**- haikus are a common form of Japanese poetry

**-joshi**- Japanese for woman, used as a title for high ranking demonness

**Onsen**-hot spring/tub

**Shikoshou**-this is me cheating. Shikoshou is basically Chikushou, Japanese for "damn"

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagutsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Sakura felt incredibly uncomfortable standing in front of what seemed like a thousand curious eyes. She tried to pull her hands apart, tugging at the crude restraints. The rope around her wrists rubbed her angrily, causing the skin underneath to turn red.

Next to her were two men. One was presiding as the judge for the trial; the other was the fat executive. At the moment he was telling the crowd, who was to act as jury, his list of events. She tried to ignore the lies that dripped out of the revolting man's mouth, because every time she heard them she wanted to yell out and defend herself. Instead, she had to stand quietly, waiting for her chance to defend her side, and hopefully persuade the crowd to believe that she was true.

Eventually the flow of words coming from the businessman slowed and finally stopped. The crowd roared, and Sakura tried to take no notice of the many "Here Here!"'s and "Aye!"'s, telling herself that there wasn't nearly as many as she thought she was hearing.

The tall man spoke to Sakura, "It is now your turn to defend yourself, and then we shall pass judgment."

She gulped, attempting to swallow the fear she was feeling. She looked out over the crowd and saw many angry and accusatory eyes pointed directly at her, but she also saw some sympathetic ones belonging to her friends.

Taking courage from this, she breathed deeply before addressing the crowd.

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Sasuke raced down the corridor, trying to summon Naruto. All of the royal family were connected to their subjects telepathically, and had the ability to summon them at will by merely searching out each demon's distinct rhythm with their mind, a very handy tool. He was so concentrated on finding Naruto that he bumped into someone else by accident.

"Hey! watch where your goi- Oh, Sasuke…it's you… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, it was an accident, I-" Sasuke cut off Ino with an angry glare.

"Out of my way, I have something important to do." Sasuke told the demonness, pushing her aside. She recovered quickly, and tried to make herself seem smaller, wishing to avoid Sasuke's eyes and the anger that accompanied them.

Attempting a laugh, Ino asked, "What could be so important to distract you this close to your wedding?"

"I have to get my bride." Sasuke replied, looking over his shoulder at Ino.

Her face instantly became white, the color leaving her completely. "Y-you found Sakura? You mean she survived the waterfall? Amazing, wonderful…" her words meandered off as she watched Sasuke.

"Yeah, weird thing is though," the prince said, turning toward Ino, "She wasn't anywhere_ near_ the waterfall. She wasn't even in the forest. I found her in the human village."

"Really? Well maybe sh-"

"Quiet Ino. I know you were lying about the waterfall, and about Sakura. If I were you, I would make myself extremely scarce right now, because I'm about five seconds away from blasting something into the sky." he said.

Suddenly, with a poof of smoke, both Naruto and Hinata appeared by his side.

"You called?" asked Naruto.

"I've found Sakura, but I'm going to need some help retrieving her." he explained to the pair. Relief flooded their expressions, glad that their new friend had finally been located.

"Well come on! Let's go get her!" yelled Naruto excitedly.

Sasuke nodded, but paused to speak to Ino. "I suggest you leave immediately. From this day forth, you are banished from ever stepping foot into this palace. You're lucky I don't have you executed for lying to a prince."

Ino nodded, head hanging loosely. The three turned away from the demonness, her spirit broken, to disappear in another cloud of smoke.

Sakura was waiting for them.

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"And that's what really happened." Sakura concluded, having just told her side of the story, the correct series of events.

"All right then." nodded the judge, acknowledging her story. Speaking to the crowd, he began to talk, "Then it is time to decide. I will point to both the defendant and prosecutor. When I point to the one you believe to be telling the truth, please cast your vote vocally. We will then deliberate on the results."

Several people looked up at him, blinking. They had not understood a single word he had just said. Many of the villagers were simple farmers, and were not formally educated.

The tall man sighed, and repeated what he had said before, though in simpler terms. "I will point to both Nagatsuka-san and Haruno-san. When I point to the person you believe to telling the truth, please shout "Aye". I will then decide, based on how loud the votes were, who is innocent and who is guilty.

Walking between Nagatsuka and Sakura, the tall man first pointed to his right at the pink-haired young woman. "First, Sakura Haruno-san. Who ever believes her to be innocent, please shout "Aye" now."

A few measly "Aye's" floated up, backed up by the enthusiastic cries of Yamazaruko, Rock Lee and the old man from the onsen. Sakura forced back the tears that were so close to being shed.

The judge then pointed to the fat businessman. "And those who believe Nagatsuka-san to be telling the truth, please shout "Aye"."

A pause, just as long as a heartbeat. For a second Sakura hoped beyond all belief that there would be no reply, or even better, she would wake up, in the demon palace, and the entire day would be a terrible dream. The rush of her own blood was loud to her ears as she waited for the results, panic gripping her heart.

A huge booming wave of energetic "Aye's" hit Sakura like a trumpet on the ear. It was easy to see, or in this case hear, which side had won.

"Alright then, I'm afraid I must now pass judgment." the tall man said. "I have found Sakura Haruno, having been charged with prostitution, to be guilty."

The shouts of hoorays drowned out Sakura and her friend's cries of dismay. The tears again came to Sakura's eyes, and she let them flow.

Motioning to the fat businessman, the judge began to lead Sakura to the gallows and the dangling loop of rope that was to go around her neck. The fat man helped pull the noose down Sakura's head. He leaned forward and whispered just loud enough for Sakura to hear. "Remember, you chose this. You didn't have to go through this. All you had to say was "yes"."

Sakura's tears dried up immediately. She refused to let the man see her die in such a weakly state. She would die proudly. Her only compensation for the whole affair was that she had defied the evil man, and that she had met Sasuke…

"_Please Sasuke, don't ever forget me…"_

"Any final words from the defendant?" asked the judge.

However, before Sakura could make a reply, a clap of thunder sounded out over the villagers. They instantly cowered as the clouds grew menacing. The red sky purpled and lightning flashed as three new figures appeared on the stage with a puff of smoke.

"Demons!" cried out a superstitious old grandma, and she certainly wasn't far off the mark.

"Sasuke?" Sakura said quietly, eyes wide from shock. He had somehow heard her prayers. She was being rescued; he had come to save her.

He turned his head to her, and gave a small smile. "I apologize that it took me this long to find you, Sakura. I'm afraid Ino lied about what had happened to you and I stupidly believed her."

"Don't worry Sakura," said the quiet voice of Hinata from behind her, "We'll get you out of here."

Naruto walked over to the noose wrapped around Sakura's neck, and extending his normally receded claws, he took the long rope above her head, cutting the rope in a quick motion. When he was done there still remained the much thicker rope of the noose still hanging about Sakura's neck, which would need a proper knife to cut. He then removed the bindings on her hands.

The crowd watched in stunned silence. Nagatsuka was the first to recover. He began to shout and hop up and down. "Stop them! They're helping her escape!"

"Silence human!" yelled Sasuke, swiping his hand through the air, a finger pointed at the man. He grabbed at his throat as a solitary croak issued forth, followed by silence.

"Trying conducting business now without a voice." dared Sasuke. "If you try to follow us, you will meet your death."

The crowd was slowly beginning to stir. A few of the braver ones pushed to the forefront, primitive weapons in hand, obviously attempting to stop the four from escaping.

Sasuke reached out and snaked an arm around Sakura's waist, pulling her close. "Hold on very tightly. This will seem a little strange, but as long as you stick to me, nothing will happen. Don't worry, it'll be over very quickly." he said.

And just as some of the villagers were walking up the steps of the stage, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Hinata disappeared magically.

Sakura's instinctually closed her eyes. She dared not to open them. But all around her, a wind whipped away, tugging on any loose bits of her clothing. It roared in her ears, deafening them. She placed her arms around Sasuke's neck, clinging tightly to him, and he responded by pulling her tighter to his own body. The noose still hung around her neck, and the whipping wind began to pull at it, choking her slightly. She wanted the experience to be done.

And her wish was heeded. Stillness surrounded her, no more tugging at her clothes or loud noises sounding in her ears. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and found herself on the top of a familiar hill, near the fringe of the forest. Around her flowers, bright red from the light of the exploding sunset danced gracefully in the slight breeze. She realized that she still had her arms around Sasuke's neck, and he had the possessive hold around her waist. She made to move away, and after some hesitation, Sasuke released her reluctantly.

Naruto, followed by Hinata popped up in much the same way they had at the village center.

Speaking to the other two demons, Sasuke spoke up. "We'll rest here awhile. Five minutes, then we'll head for the palace."

Nods answered the statement, and Naruto made to lie down, lounging on the hill. Sakura blushed when she felt Sasuke's puzzled gaze on her, and turned away, looking over the village.

"_So while they return to the palace, where will I go?"_

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"Did you see that?" asked Yamazaruko in a stunned voice.

"Uh-huh." Rock Lee answered, equally dazed.

They had been watching their friend being fitted for the noose, when three people…if you could call them that…appeared out of the blue. Shocked, they could do nothing as they watched their friend being plucked and whisked away.

"D-do you really think they were…demons?" Yamazaruko said, turning to face Rock Lee.

"I don't care what they are. Right now they've got Sakura and we got to go save her!" Lee said, quickly recovering from his stupor. He spun on his heels and raced away, heading in the direction of Sakura's house.

Yamazaruko made to follow him, but was swallowed up by the crowd, who began to press in at all sides, trying to get a better view of the stage.

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"Alright guys, come on. We only have thirty minutes until sunset, at best. We need to move quickly if we want to get to the palace before then." said Sasuke, getting up from where he had sat down.

Naruto too got up, grumbling about never getting a moment to himself. Sasuke walked over to Sakura. Picking up the remnants of the noose still around her neck and glaring at it with much venom, his hand disappeared momentarily into his clothing to return with a small knife. After a few moments of work, the piece of rope fell down from Sakura's neck, landing on the grass below in a useless pile. Finished with his task, Sasuke extended a hand.

"You ready?" questioned Sasuke.

"What?" Sakura said.

"Are you ready to go back?" he repeated, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"You mean to the palace?" Sakura was confused. Why would Sasuke want her to have to go all the way to the palace just to turn around again while he got married to Ino?

"Yes I mean the palace…what else would I mean? Are you okay Sakura?" His eyes had a worried light to them, as he studied the young woman's face.

"I'm fine…just…why would you want me to go the palace?" genuine confusion was etched upon Sakura's face.

"So that we can get married like we intended… unless you've changed your mind." Sasuke concluded, a trace of fear showing in his voice at the thought that Sakura could have possibly changed her mind.

Sakura's eyes widened as she took in Sasuke's words. A warmness spread through her entire body, reaching to the very tips of her fingers. Oxygen flooded her brain, as though she had been underwater and had finally resurfaced for air. Her heart ached, overfilling with such emotion; she felt her chest was too small to contain it. A wide smile spread cross her face.

But one thought nagged at her.

"W-wait a minute…you told Ino that you _couldn't_ marry me…because I wasn't deserving of you…" Sakura paraphrased.

"I believe you have it backwards." he said, bringing up a hand to gently cup her face. With a new poison in his voice, he continued. "I can't believe that stupid Ino. Did she really tell you that I didn't want to marry you anymore?"

"Well, she said that I was too weak to be a Demon Queen, and that you had realized this and had left the task of getting rid of me to Ino…" Sakura explained.

"And you believed her?" he asked, voice raising a bit too loudly, and he quickly apologized when faced with the pink-haired woman's scared expression.

"Well…she was talking about how you were reluctant to get rid of me…and I thought about that time the garden when you were distracted by something and I…I guess I assumed you were thinking about…about." Sakura cold not finish her train of thought, but Sasuke got the message.

With his free hand, the demon prince pinched his temple in an agitated manner, lowering his gaze from Sakura.

"I can not believe that…that- never mind." he said. Raising his eyes to meet mint green ones, he spoke again in a much gentler tone. "Allow me to explain."

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_Bang!_

The door crashed loudly when Rock Lee slid it away from blocking the entrance to Sakura's small home. Looking around frantically, he did not see her initially. Quickly searching the rest of the house, he still had not found the elusive pink-haired woman.

Walking outside, he scratched his head, thinking of where to look next.

"_Come on, come on! Got to find her…got to find her…"_

Turning around in a small circle, he was stopped when he saw something from the corner of his eye. Pivoting, he faced a huge flower-swathed hill. He squinted his eyes, focusing the huge image.

While most of the hill was a bright red, four areas, more purple in color than the surrounding grass could be seen. Focusing closer he saw that they were four figures.

Eyes widening in realization, Rock Lee race toward the big hill. He had to save Sakura!

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"This morning, when I had woken up, I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere." Sasuke began, while Sakura listened in rapt silence. "Then, Naruto comes running up to me, saying Ino knows something about where you were. When I saw her she was saying that she had watched you, sleepwalking, walk right over the edge of a waterfall."

Sasuke paused, lowering his head at his own shame. "For a moment…I believed her. I cannot tell you how utterly useless I felt. I was sure the world was going to stop, and swallow me up into a great black void." He looked up at Sakura, determination flickering in his eyes. "Then I told myself that it _couldn't_ be true. There was no way you could have disappeared just like that voluntarily, especially with Ino involved."

Smiling now, he continued. "So then I sent Naruto with some help to search the forest while I conducted a search of my own. We spent hours, combing the forest, but couldn't find you anywhere."

"Because I wasn't in the forest…" Sakura murmured, catching onto Ino's scheme.

"Exactly." Sasuke grinned. "You won't ever find something if you keep looking in the wrong place. I finally figured out that Ino was lying to me. So instead of searching the forest, I began looking in other places. That's when I found you, going on trial for something… By the way, why were you on trial?"

Ignoring his last question, Sakura stood, dumbfounded, contemplating Sasuke's story.

Perturbed by the silence, the young prince gently grasped his pink-haired human, and tugged them softly to get her attention. "Sakura, is this my fault? Did I do something to make you unhappy, is that why you left?"

"What!" she spluttered, "I left because Ino bewitched me and _made_ me leave."

"I know." he replied, "But then why didn't you come back? Did she threaten you? Or did you just not want to come back?" his voice took a somewhat pathetic tone, at the unbearable thought that the love of his life did not after all return that love. "If I did something to make you stay away, I apologize…I didn't…" his words failed to come forth anymore, and he shrank back into silence.

"Sasuke." Sakura said soothingly, momentarily freeing a hand from Sasuke's and brought it up to brush away a stray lock on his face. Now it was her turn to lower her head in shame. "The reason I didn't return was…well… Ino told me that you told her to get rid of me…that you didn't want me as a bride…because I wasn't…" she struggled to finish the sentence, either from the embarrassment or the sadness of how true the words were, "Wasn't strong enough to be your queen."

Sasuke was uncharacteristically shocked. It took a lot to make the demon prince surprised, and there he stood, in a daze. Sakura blushed hotly after finishing, unsure as to how Sasuke was going to reply.

Finally, he spoke. "That…is complete and total…nonsense…like saying the sky is polka dotted." he said, completely serious. Sakura managed a small giggle to the ridiculous response. "Sakura, you are the bravest, strongest…most wonderful woman in the entire world."

"But," she interjected, "But I'm just a liability to you. I'd be a weakness your entire life. You'd protect me no matter what the cost…"

"You're darn right I would. I'm sure not about let you get hurt under my watch." he interrupted.

"But it wouldn't just be my life, or even your life at stake. What if you were to go to war or something… what if you gave up your life trying to save mine? Your life doesn't just belong to you; you have your kingdom to think about. You need someone… who won't be a weakness." she concluded, depression one of the many emotions in her voice.

Placing one hand on her shoulder, he took the pink haired woman's chin in his other, and tilted it up to look directly in his face. "Sakura, there has never been, no will ever be, a woman I would give my entire life, world, and love, for what it's worth, than to the woman I am looking at right now." he said while looking straight into her eyes. "I would give anything, if only to just wake up and see you there, right next to me." She opened her mouth as if to protest, but Sasuke quietly shushed her before going on. "Granted, you may never be as strong as a demon, however, don't ever call yourself a weakness to me." he smiled. "You are what gives me strength. I have never put so much effort into the safety and well-being of another, until I thought you were threatened. I would have fought a thousand armies, just to know that you were safe. You will never be a liability."

"Sasuke…" she said, tears springing for eyes yet again, those these were tears of joy. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of Sasuke's encouraging, loving words, which healed her emotional wounds and quelled any of her doubts.

"Sakura, will you do me the infinite honor of becoming my bride?" Sasuke asked softly, like a butterfly's fluttering wings.

Sakura opened her eyes. "Yes!" she exclaimed, while simultaneously crashing her lips to Sasuke's. The two enjoyed a passionate kiss, an outlet for all the emotions they were feeling.

Naruto and Hinata watched the happy scene, smiles dancing against their own faces. Naruto wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulder, nudging her closer to himself, placing a small kiss on the top of her head. He leaned down to whisper a question into her ear, to which she responded an enthusiastic yes, as well as a kiss of her own.

They were not the only audience members. Off a distance, a young human male watched.

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Rock Lee had finally made it to the apex of the hill. Breathing heavily, he was deeply relieved when he spotted Sakura, though the fact that she was conversing in quiet with one of the monsters that had kidnapped her slightly dampened it. Sneaking closer, he tried to come up with a plan, to rescue his life-long friend, when suddenly Sakura jumped up and kissed the fiend.

Lee's jaw dropped at the sight of the woman he loved kissing another man. White-hot fury crashed through the very core of his body. He saw red, and a bloodlust came over him. He was nearly on his feet, ready to tear off the raven-covered head of his rival, when he noticed Sakura.

She was smiling. He had never once seen her so joyous. Her smile just kept widening and widening, threatening to completely take over her features. Their was an incredible glow about her, a beautiful aura of pure, unadulterated happiness, and love. Love for the man she was holding in her arms.

He looked away, fearing that he would become blind if he looked at the dazzling corona of Sakura. His heart lurched and squeezed painfully at the emotions and thoughts that passed through his mind's eyes, many he did not want to admit to be true, but he could not stop himself.

He loved Sakura. He loved her, but she did not love him. It was painful to admit, even more painful than when she had declined him earlier. The evidence was right in front of him now though. She loved someone else, she was much happier with someone else. As much as he wanted Sakura to be his, he wanted her, above all, to be happy. She couldn't be as happy with him as she was with the demon in front of her right now.

The realization was harsh and brutal, cutting him deeper than any knife ever could. He looked up again, to see Sakura, shrouded in complete and utter bliss. He smiled.

As much as he wanted to jump up, and kill the raven-haired monster in front of him, he kept himself in check, for Sakura's sake.

He slowly stood up, so as not to draw attention to him, but was stopped when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Rock Lee…"

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She had caught his movements from the corner of her eye. There was no misplacing the characteristic bowl cut and green outfit of her childhood friend. He turned to face her with so much pain in his eyes. She realized, possibly too late, how him seeing her with Sasuke might have affected him.

"Hello Sakura-chan." he said quietly.

Removing herself from the embrace she and Sasuke were sharing, she walked over to her long time friend.

"Lee, I'm sorry…I didn't mean for you…I…" words would not come, as her guilt choked her throat.

"Sakura…does he make you happy?" he asked, surprising the young woman for a second.

"Yes." she answered, never more sure of any other answer she had given in her entire life.

Her friend sighed, and gave her a small smile. "Then that's all that matters. I love you Sakura, you know that." his words caused a stab of guilt to Sakura's heart. "I just want you to be happy, wherever you choose to go or do. If this…man…" he said hesitantly, unsure of his wording, "is what makes you happy, then be with him, and have my blessing."

Sakura smiled delightedly that her friend was being so understanding. She hugged him, a simple embrace the two had shared many times over the years. "Thank you, Lee-kun, for everything you've done for me, I wish I could have done the same for you."

Letting go, he replied, "Just be happy…that's all I want for you."

She nodded. Then, Rock Lee suddenly made his way over to where Sasuke stood.

Drawing himself up to his fullest height, he addressed his rival in love, "You're a demon right?" he asked unashamedly.

"Yes."

"Alright then, listen to me. I don't care if you're the most powerful being on this entire earth, if so much as harm or make Sakura unhappy…so help me…there won't be a safe place for you to hide anywhere."

"Lee!" Sakura exclaimed at his forwardness, very uncommon for her green-bedecked friend.

"Sakura is my closest friend in the world, and I won't have anyone mistreating her, do you understand?"

Sasuke looked at the other man. "I swear, on my life, my kingdom, and the Great Madara Uchiha, that I will make sure personally that this woman will never suffer while under my protection." he said with such finality, that Rock Lee could only nod, unable to argue over the sincerity of Sasuke's words.

"Okay then." he turned to Sakura. "Promise that you'll visit every so often?"

"Of course!" she agreed. She would miss his friendship as much as he would miss hers, and she did not want a lifelong relationship to end just because of distance.

"Then I'll see you around." he said softly, and turned around, heading back to the village.

Still feeling slightly guilty about earlier, Sakura called out. "Hey Rock Lee, if I were you, I'd go talk to Yamazaruko-chan."

He swiveled his head to face her. "How will that help?"

She smiled at him, "Just trust me."

Rock Lee gave a casual shrug, and continued his trek back to the village.

"How _will_ that help?" asked Sasuke.

"Oh, I have a funny feeling. You never know, it certainly doesn't hurt to try."

Sasuke struggled to comprehend the cryptic message, but gave up when he felt Sakura's lips press gently against his own. Returning the kiss, he asked when it was over, "Are you ready to return home?"

"Yes." she smiled up at him, eyes misting slightly as more happy tears threatened to leak out.

"Good, because it's almost sunset, and I want to be married to you sometime before the end of the year." he joked. Sakura gave a heady giggle.

Wrapping an arm around her waist again, he pulled her close to his body. He motioned for Hinata and Naruto to go on ahead of them. After they had vanished with a puff of air, he turned to his bride and asked, "You ready?"

"I've never been more ready in my life."

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EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Again, happy squees for this chappie. I am such a hopeless romantic… The whole idea behind this chapter just gives the shivers (good ones!)

With all the times I had to describe this hill, I really wanted to call its top the i_curviture /i _but alas, I could not do that… because no one would get it…

Again, I'm sorry Rock Lee… I did not intentionally plan this, but after the failed proposal I felt I had to give him some closure…

**Translations**

**-chan**-title used for girls and younger boys

**-kun**-title used for boys mainly

But wait… there's more!

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Get back here you little hooligan!"

Naruto continued to chase his ward, but the demon kept outmaneuvering him, just barely staying out of the fox demon's grasp.

"Your getting slow in your old age Naruto-otoji!"

"I'll give you old age Akitoki! You won't think I'm so old when I turn you over my knee and give you a sound spanking!"

The two's chase was suddenly stopped by the appearance of a woman of fair stature and pink hair. Akitoki instantly stopped, followed by Naruto.

"Mommy…" he whispered in horror. Now he was sure to be punished.

"You weren't giving Naruto any trouble were you Akitoki? If you were, I just might have to keep you away from the Festival…" mint-green eyes narrowed in warning.

His precious fun time at the Spring Festival threatened, Akitoki quickly employed his greatest weapon of his seven-year-old arsenal: big, puppy-dog eyes, the exact same color as his mother's.

"Oh please don't! Please don't, I don't want to have to stay inside while everyone else gets to go to the festival!"

"Then behave, and don't cause Naruto any more trouble." his mother replied sternly. Turning her blonde friend, she smiled warmly, "I'll see you at the festival in a little while." He bowed his head, acknowledging his queen's words.

Humbled, the young crown prince turned to see Naruto, and already knew he was not going to get away with his crime scotch-free.

Sakura heard the two as they were leaving, even from all the way down the hall.

"AND AFTER YOU'VE SCRUBBED EVERY POT AND PAN IN THIS KITCHEN, YOU CAN WASH EVERY SINGLE LAST HALLWAY…YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Aww…come on Naruto-otogi…do I have to do _all_ that?"

"Yes, and if you whine than you get more to do…"

Sakura smiled to herself as she continued walking down the hall, reminiscing about her son, who looked incredibly like his father, except for the eyes, and the ten years she had lived in the palace.

After Sasuke had rescued her from Nagatsuka, she had been whisked away to the palace, where she had been plucked, tweezed, shaved, groomed and styled within an inch of her life, all in preparation for the marriage ceremony and coronation of Konoha's new King and Queen.

The wedding had been straight from a fairy tale. Enchanted sakura blossoms were everywhere, though any natural ones were long gone, floating on an April breeze. The entire kingdom of Konoha was present, but Sakura ignored all their prying eyes. She just watched Sasuke, standing a while from her. Her white shiro-muku trailing behind her; she gracefully walked to where he stood. On his face was such a look of happiness and pure joy, that it made Sakura positively tingle with excitement, somewhere deep down acknowledging that _she_ was the cause of the happiness for the perfect creature in front of her.

The wedding ceremony was short. They both drank a sweet elixir, a symbol for the sweet life they hoped to share with each other, from a cup with two handles. Then Sasuke's coronation began.

Fugaku got up, and walked over to his son. After saying the ceremonial words scripted thousands of generations ago, Fugaku concluded with a few words of his own, mainly how proud he was of his son, and that he knew he would be a great king. Then he plucked the gold circlet around his own head, and placed on his sons. It glowed brightly for a second, before Sasuke's horns grew out, spiraling into the characteristic Beast demon shape. He was now a man, along with being a king to his people.

Sakura remembered the happy years they had shared. All the events they had witnessed. Naruto and Hinata's own wedding, just a month after their own. Naruto had apparently proposed to Hinata on the flowered hill the day of Sakura's rescue. They were now happily married with two children of their own. Of her friend, Rock Lee's marriage. Having followed her advice, Rock Lee went to talk to Yamazaruko after saying goodbye to Sakura. They soon became fast friends and two years later tied the knot. They were now expecting fifth child (Both of them had wanted a big family). Of her first born, her son Akitoki, crown prince of the kingdom of Konoha, and her daughter Tsukiko. Both of her children had inherited their father's dark raven hair, but only Akitoki had Sakura's unique eye color.

She sighed happily, content with her life. "_Everything is perfect_.," she thought, patting her stomach. They would soon have another addition to the family. She smiled in anticipation of telling Sasuke the wonderful news.

"_Where is he?"_ she wondered, continuing the search for her elusive husband.

Her feet soon brought her to the open courtyard where the activities were to take place. Artisans and merchants stood behind their stalls, calling out their wares to passerby's. Candies, masks, and games that could be played for a prize dotted the crowded area. Sakura turned her head several times, hoping to find her dark haired partner. Instead, she was greeted by many waves of happy salutations from the demons around her.

"Sakura-joshi, won't you come try some of my succulent Wagashi? Truly the finest in the land!"

"Mi-lady, come see what necklaces I have for you. Why I have the perfect one that would beautify your face tenfold and make all men and demons adore you…"

"Don't listen to these charlatans queen Sakura; see what I have at my stall…truly the finest in the entire world!"

Sakura smiled good-naturedly at all of them, but did not stop in her quest. Now was not the time to become distracted.

Winding her way through the crowd, the path began to climb slowly upwards, up to the highest point of the yard that overlooked the entire courtyard. One lone figure stood at the apex and Sakura had a sneaking suspicion she knew who it was.

"I'm starting to think you might enjoy having me have to search all of creation to find where your hiding." she joked when she walked up to her husband.

The handsome demon twisted, magnificent horns reflecting the glow of the moonlight.

"Of course not… I just prefer private spots as opposed to _that_" he nodded towards the writing mass of bodies in the courtyard.

"Besides," he began, wrapping a pair of strong arms, "When you _do_ find me all alone in some secluded spot that means I get you _all_ to myself…" he whispered into her ear, sounding pleased with himself.

Sakura giggled in response, feeling like she had ten years ago, completely in love with the man in front of her. She nuzzled her forehead into his shoulder's crook, inhaling a scent that seemed to have always existed in her life, of the woods and clean sweat.

Raising her head, Sakura was cheek-to-cheek with the Demon King of the Kingdom of Konoha. They watched as the moon rose in the sky, and stars began to appear slowly.

Sasuke scanned the land surrounding the small hill. He could just see over the castle walls into the demon garden, still taken care of by a legion of gardeners, he had made sure of that. The sakura blossoms were in full bloom, and swayed gently in the calm April breeze. So much like the day he had first met his love…

"Can you believe it has been ten years?' he asked Sakura. "So much has passed since then… We got married, I became a king and you became a queen…We had two beautiful children…"

Sakura smiled up at him, placing a small kiss onto his warm lips. "Soon to be three…"

Sasuke gawped at the pink haired woman, completely taken aback.

"Really?" he asked, excitement coursing through his body.

She nodded back, barely able to contain her smile.

They closed the little distance between them, and kissed deeply. Ten years, and the flames had never died once, just grew larger and larger. They continued to kiss, not taking heed to anything around them, not even when a sudden wind picked up and carried a small cloud of sakura blossoms with it. The small pink whirlwind twirled around them as they were consumed by their love. Sakura blossoms on an April breeze.

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YEAH!!! IT'S DONE!!!

What did you think?

Just to get this out of the way, I apologize to any of you who have a problem with Rock Lee hooking up with Yamazaruko… I personally hate it when authors introduce OC out of no where just so they can hook other characters up with them… But I'm sure some of you saw it coming… Plus, I always have Yamazaruko in all of my Naruto fanfics…yeah… anyway, like I said I apologize; I hope that didn't ruin the ending for you.

Well, now with this out of the way, maybe I can get started on that ShikaTema fic, or that other Naruto fic (that one's just humor, no romance involved)

On a final note, I would like to thank Mirrix for being my awesome editor and idea-bouncer-back-er… YOU ROCK!!!

**Translations**

**Akitoki**- "Aki-" means bright. A common Japanese male name (and one of my favorites)

**-otoji**- equivalent to uncle (Naruto is not his i_real/i_ uncle though)

**Festival**-just some spring festival

**Shiro-muku**- traditional Japanese wedding dress.

**Tsukiko**- Tsuki is a word for demon, and ko is often used at the end of female names, it means child of (so Tsukiko means Child of Demon, sorta…)

**Wagashi**-type of candy

**Sakura**-cherry trees/blossoms

I own nothing except for the concept, Yamazaruko and Masuhiro Nagatsuka

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto


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